Dragons Change: Perspectives
by AdmiralCole22
Summary: In my story, Dragons Change, Winter is the main character. We see the world and the unfolding adventure from his perspective. He's not alone on this journey, though. Join Turtle, Moon, Flint, Darkstalker, and the others to witness from their perspectives some of the events that impacted them the most.
1. Just Another Day at the Academy

**AN: First off, I would like to apologize. I had written an author's note telling what scene this was before I published this, and I swear I pressed save but I apparently didn't. So...sorry about that.**

**This scene is in Turtle's POV on the morning of the day that Winter shows up at the academy. So chapter wise, it takes place during chapter 2. (Or 3 if you count the prologue as a chapter. I don't.)**

**Just to elaborate on a few rules, these bonus scenes won't be in any particular order. They'll be posted in the order I write them. These scenes will generally be shorter than a chapter of the main story. If you have suggestions, tell me. Don't be shy to ask for something.**

**Disclaimer. I do not own Wings of Fire. Sky the Skywing belongs to her owner Nightfall. She was submitted as a potential OC for Dragons Change, but I decided to do her cameo in here. Lastly, IceDragon07 asked me to put one of his characters in my main story. I agreed. The Mudwing-Skywing hybrid Inferno belongs to him. He'll show up later in the main story, but I put a little nod to him in here.**

Just Another Day at the Academy

Turtle awoke with a groan at the morning gong. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he gazed around his personal cave. Kinkajou still wasn't back. She had been gone for over three weeks now, and he was beginning to miss her. It was rare for her to stay gone for more than two weeks at a time, but she had been gone for longer than that before.

Maybe it was best not to worry about it for now.

Today was…well, it was just another day at the academy. After Darkstalker, there hadn't been very many interesting events that happened here. The only other time he could think of was when some Skywings had come by looking for their new Mudwing clawmate, Inferno. Technically, Inferno was a Mudwing-Skywing hybrid, but since Peril had been their new Skywing, it had worked out in the end. That was about six months after Winter disappeared, too.

He never did find out what happened to either of them.

Moon probably knew. She had acted weird for days after both of them had left, but Turtle never asked. If she didn't want to tell them, he wasn't going to be the one to pry. Besides, he hadn't seen her or Qibli for almost four years now.

Besides Kinkajou, Peril was the only one of their old winglet that still stuck around. Turtle sighed. _We used to be so close. When did we begin to drift apart?_ He was pretty much deluding himself at this point. It all started when Winter left. Nobody had been the same when he disappeared that night. Qibli had blamed himself and started closing himself off from everyone except Moon.

Moon had been depressed for months after that night. While he and Kinkajou were never Winter's biggest fans, even they realized that they had screwed up. He didn't think Peril cared that much, but at least she was smart enough not to comment on it—around them anyways.

Turtle was brought out of his thoughts with the sound of the second gong. Now he was officially late for the morning faculty meeting…and he had missed breakfast. Apparently, he had been thinking for a lot longer then he had thought because those two gongs were thirty minutes apart.

Everyone at the academy at thirty minutes to eat their breakfast once the first gong sounded. When the second sounded, students would report to their first classes for a fifteen minute unsupervised study session while the professors had a faculty meeting in headmistress Tsunami's office.

It was always the same stuff. She just wanted to tell everyone what was expected of them, who needed to pick up the pace or slow down, and other such trivial nonsense. Five minutes into the meeting, he walked through the door and took his seat.

He only just now realized that everyone was silently staring at him. He observed their faces with slight concern before it evolved into slight fear once he saw his sister's face. To say that she was furious would have been an understatement.

If there was one thing Tsunami hated above all others, it was dragons who walked in late, "Finally decided to join us, huh?" Her tone was scolding and he shrunk down slightly at it. "Why don't you tell all of us what happened to be so important to be so late to our morning meeting…and miss breakfast." She added that last part when his stomach decided that now was a good time to make its displeasure at being empty known.

The others made it clear when he looked at them that he wouldn't receive any help from any of them. They didn't want to be the ones facing Tsunami's wrath. He knew she wouldn't let this go either, so with a resigned sigh, he answered, "I was thinking."

_Please don't ask for any more than that!_ He silently prayed. He didn't want to talk about his slightly depressing thoughts that he had this morning—especially in front of everyone. If it was just his sister, he would be more willing, but his hopes and dreams were shattered when Tsunami growled, "About what!?"

_Damn! _He REALLY didn't want to do this, but he didn't have any choice right now, so with a depressing sigh, he answered, "I was thinking about my old winglet." He could have lied, of course, but it wouldn't feel right doing that to Tsunami. She had done a lot for him, and he didn't want to betray her by lying.

Her expression softened slightly, "I see. Well…go get yourself something to eat. I think we'll end early today anyways."

Turtle nodded sullenly as he made his way to the door. He received sympathetic looks and comforting pats on the shoulder as he walked by the others. He was grateful for that. It was hard knowing that the first—and best—friends he had ever had mostly disappeared or broke off contact with him.

He made his way to the prey center to scrounge up the last few fish that were left over from this morning. There were only three decent sized ones. _I suppose that'll have to do for now._ He proceeded to nibble on his fish for a few minutes when he heard the click of talons on the stone floor. He was quite surprised to see his sister walking towards him.

"I guess you lost your appetite, huh?" she gestured to the single half-eaten fish sitting on the table.

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Listen, Turtle, I'm sorry for making you say that in front of everyone else. If I had known…" She trailed off before shaking her head and starting again. "I know I have no idea what you're going through right now, but I know that I would be in the same position if Clay, Sunny, Starflight, or even Glory decided that they would take off and never speak to me again."

Turtle nodded again before wrapping his big sister in a hug. She didn't hesitate to return it. While he and Anemone had gotten closer after the whole animus battle and Darkstalker affair, his little sister could still be a bit of a self-centered brat sometimes. Tsunami, though…

She knew the value of family and friends. When her and the other Dragonets of Destiny were going across Pyrrhia trying to stop a war that had been raging for almost two decades, she knew that she could always count on her friends.

That's why Tsunami was—secretly—his favorite sister.

He was the first to break the hug. A smile had replaced his earlier frown. Sure, knowing that your old friends were gone hurt, but he knew that he still had dragons that cared about him here and now. "Thanks, Tsunami. I needed this."

She punched his shoulder playfully. Tried to, anyway, it actually hurt quite a bit, but he tried to keep from grimacing. "That's my job, isn't it? I'm supposed to look after my little brother, after all."

All of a sudden, the third gong rang, signally the start of the first class of the day. "I better be going. I don't want to be late…again." She smirked at his joke before nodding and going about her daily rounds.

After the whole Darkstalker debacle, most of the Queens thought it would be a good idea for the students at Jade Mountain to be taught about animus magic. While animus dragons were rare, fear had caused the premature death of several animus dragons in the past ever since the Royal Seawing Massacre. Turtle's job at the Academy was to teach his students about every animus dragon from past to present as well as what happens when animus magic is used too much. Tsunami had made it a rule that Turtle wasn't allowed to use his magic in his class no matter how small an enchantment he used.

He agreed. He felt fine, but he didn't want to be the next Albatross. He wasn't going to take any chances—no matter how much his students pestered him.

Anemone came by sometimes as a guest lecturer, and they would go see Stonemover sometimes when Sunny gave them permission. Those visits were few and far between because someone almost always asked something that got Stonemover riled up. That was three of Pyrrhia's four animus dragons. The fourth…well…he didn't know what had happened to the massive Nightwing, but he doubted Darkstalker would be welcome at Jade Mountain if he was still around.

Turtle knew that he wouldn't welcome the Nightwing.

Regardless, his morning routine had been slightly messed up, so he would make extra sure that the rest of his day would be just like any other day: three classes, then lunch, then another study hall, then three more classes, then supper, and lastly, free time until lights out.

The academy had added a sixth winglet two years ago when another small section of the cave system had been excavated. Tsunami had wanted to call it the Coral Winglet both in honor of their mother and because coral was a precious resource. One of the Skywings had made an argument saying that they could call it the Ruby Winglet for the same reason.

Tsunami had relented after that.

After hours of deliberation, they had finally settled on the Iron Winglet. While it wasn't a precious resource, iron was strong, sturdy, and made up the backbone of several of Pyrrhia's militaries. In a way, that made it precious. There was no telling how many lives had been saved due to iron armor. Another dragon had made an argument saying that there was no telling how many lives had been LOST due to iron weapons.

Tsunami had glared at him until he revoked his argument.

Students—and therefore teachers—had the same order of classes. He would teach the Gold Winglet, Quartz Winglet, and Iron Winglet before lunch and then the Jade Winglet, Copper Winglet, and finally the Silver Winglet after lunch.

He finally reached his class—two minutes late—and took his place at his podium. His students immediately quieted down as he began. "Sorry for the slight delay, I've had a bit of a rough morning." The Seawing in the group raised his claws, "Yes, Brine?"

The Seawing lowered them before asking, "Are you okay, Prince Turtle?"

A small smile formed on Turtle's face when he answered, "Yes, I am, but while I'm in this classroom, it's Professor Turtle not Prince Turtle, understood?" The Seawing, Brine, nodded. "Good." He picked of his scroll that held his teaching plans for the year and balked when he saw what today's topic was. _Am I not going to have a break today?_ "Umm…Uh, today's topic is a sensitive one. You know the rules, though. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and no one is allowed to take disagreements further than debates."

The Mudwing spoke without raising her claws, "You've never given us a warning like this before, Professor Turtle. What's so bad about today's topic?"

He decided not to chastise her for not raising her claw and instead answered her question, "Because today, we're talking about Darkstalker." The Icewing in the class immediately growled at the mention of his name and the Nightwing shivered in slight fear. "I share your sentiments, Crystal, but please stop growling." The female Icewing stopped but she narrowed her eyes to make it clear she wasn't pleased that she couldn't voice her displeasure.

"You know how it goes by now. You'll take turns saying something you know about Darkstalker. Try not to repeat another's fact, but if you don't know anything else, just say pass."

The Mudwing, Delta, decided to go first, "I heard that he was the oldest and largest dragon alive."

"That is correct," Turtle answered. "Darkstalker is over two thousand years old and wasvapproximately three times larger than Burn—the largest of the Sandwing sisters." He shivered slightly when he remember seeing the goliath of a dragon rise from underneath the mountain.

The Nightwing, Cometstorm, went next, "He was a Hybrid. Icewing and Nightwing to be exact, which is why the two tribes hate each other." The Nightwing glanced back at the Nightwing who only glared at him. He pointed at her and said, "My point, exactly."

Turtle nodded before pointing at the next volunteer, Brine. "He was personal friends with one of the only survivors from the Royal Seawing Massacre, Prince Fathom, who also happened to be an animus."

The Skywing raised her claws next but didn't wait to be called on before answering, "Didn't he kill his own father?"

"Yes…he did," Turtle stated, somewhat uncomfortable with that particular addition. "Though, you should wait to be called on before you answer, Sky. Do you know the name of his father?"

Sky opened her mouth to answer, but someone interrupted her, "Prince Arctic of the Icewings."

"Thank you, Crystal," he said annoyed. "Because you interrupted your clawmate, you can go next."

"Alright," she glared at him. "When Darkstalker was resurrected—by a Skywing, I might add—he unleashed a plague that killed almost half of my tribe, including my Queen, my brother, and my father."

Though she had tried to prevent it, her voice cracked ever so slightly at the end of her answer. He didn't appreciate the obvious jab at his friend, Peril, but Turtle still felt terrible. _Great moons! I just pulled a Tsunami!_ "If you wish to be excused, Crystal, you may be…I'm sorry." The Icewing didn't say anything as she got up and left.

The Sandwing, who had yet to say anything, raised his paw next and answered when Turtle pointed at him, "It was also a Sandwing who replicated his enchanted earring to give to all the Icewings, and the two tribes have become closer allies ever since then."

_That's news to me. I didn't know that the Sandwings and Icewings were still allies._ "Do you know the name of that Sandwing, though?" Turtle didn't want to show it but being reminded of those days was making him kind of sad again. While he was content with his lot in life nowadays, talking about his adventures made him miss them. The good parts, though. He could live without the giant, invincible Nightwing intent on tribal genocide.

"Yep," he answered. "Qibli. One of the original Jade Winglet members who defeated Darkstalker, and you were the animus that originally enchanted that earring, too!" Turtle nodded.

The Rainwing, Monty, was the only one who hadn't gone yet, so Turtle picked on him to go next, "Umm…he brainwashed dragons?"

"You're correct. Darkstalker used a spell the made every dragon on Pyrrhia who wasn't wearing an enchanted earring instantly like and trust him." Crystal entered the room during his pause and he looked down in shame when she glared at him. "Well then, let's begin the lesson, shall we? Darkstalker was hatched during the brightest night over two thousand years ago…"

When the next gong rang, the Gold Winglet headed over to their next class as the Quartz Winglet entered. This period and the one with the Iron Winglet immediately following were pretty much the same as the first, except he didn't accidentally insult someone with an insensitive question. When the lunch gong rang, Turtle decided to stay for a few minutes to collect his thoughts. Spending three hours talking about the single most terrifying dragon in history could take it's toll on a dragon. Even more so when you've actually met said terrifying dragon before.

No students were in his classroom at the moment, so he decided to relish in the peace and quiet. He closed his eyes for just a second before he heard someone clearing their throat, most likely to get his attention.

He opened his eyes to see Python, the Sandwing from the Gold Winglet, in his door, "Sorry to interrupt, Professor Turtle, but there's an Icewing walking through the halls towards Headmistress Tsunami's office, and he looks like he's ticked off about something."

He wanted to say, "That's just how Icewings usually look," but he bit his tongue. Besides, if this mystery Icewing was headed straight for his sister's office, it was probably a good idea to go back her up. He was the little brother with the animus magic, after all.

It wasn't that hard to find the Icewing. He just followed the trail of frost vapor in the air. That probably wasn't a good sign, so he picked up his pace. He found the intruder pinning three dragonets with his gaze. He couldn't get a very good angle on the Icewing's face because he was coming up from behind, but he could see that the dragonets in question were a Rainwing, Seawing, and Nightwing.

_It's probably best if I intervene. Those dragonets look nervous. I don't really blame them, either. _He walked forward and around the Icewing while using his most professional voice, "Excuse me, sir, but you're frightening my students. I'll have to ask you to—"

He froze.

_That looks like… It can't be, though…can it?_ _ Nobody's seen him in seven years! _"Winter?" He received no response from the Icewing. "Winter?" He asked a bit louder this time…still no response. He was beginning to think this wasn't who he thought it was. _Winter had a brother, right? Maybe this is him. Though, maybe I should try one more time. _"WINTER!"

Turtle saw the Icewing blink, confused, before shaking his head to clear his mind before he turned his gaze on the Seawing. He saw confusion on the Icewing's face, then he blinked. Recognition followed, and Turtle could see a whole swarm of conflicting emotions in his eyes. _If this is Winter, he looks much different than he used to. He almost looks…broken. _"Winter? Are you okay?" Panic broke through Winter's eyes, so Turtle put a comforting paw on the Icewing's shoulder.

The Icewing looked down in slight confusion at the new pressure on his shoulder. "Winter, you're starting to scare me. Please say something." He urged.

The Icewing looked up and spoke in hardly more than a whisper, "T-Turtle?"

The Seawing smiled. That confirmed it. This WAS Winter. "Yeah, it's me. I've missed you, my friend." Winter looked at him with surprise and was quiet for several moments. Turtle didn't want to rush him, there was no telling what was going on inside his mind. That was when he noticed something that completely shattered his previous outlook on his old clawmate. Moisture was beginning to build up around Winter's eyes, and Turtle could hear his breathing hitch._ By the moons! Is he crying!?_

When Winter threw his arms around Turtle, the Seawing stiffened for a second before eventually returning it. He tried to be as comforting as possible whispering reassurances like, "It's okay, Winter. It'll be okay."

In reality, he was horrified at how Winter was acting. He remembered the Icewing being a proud royal who didn't put up with anyone's crap. He could be a jackass, sure, but he always ended up doing the right thing in the end. Now though, he looked to be a shell of his former self. Before, Winter wouldn't be caught dead acting like this. Now though…

_What has the world done to you, Winter?_

**AN: I hope everyone liked this. At the time of writing this, I have another one ready to post tomorrow. It's in Moon's POV so be ready for that. I don't want to spoil when it takes place, so you'll just have to be patient. I also have another scene with both Moon and Darkstalker's POV, and I also have one with Flint that I have planned. If you have any other ideas, though, please share.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	2. Desperate Measures

**AN: Remember last Wednesday when I challenged everyone to get 15 favorites on Dragons Change in 5 days? I didn't expect to get all 15, but I expected at least five or six.**

**I got two. *Sarcastic slow clapping***

**Good Job people. You just crushed my dreams.**

**In any case, here's your reward for the measly two favorites. This bonus scene is from Moon's perspective on the day that she leaves the Sand Kingdom to go find Winter. Chapter-wise, this takes place before the prologue.**

**WARNING: Physical abuse in this one. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

Desperate Measures

_SMACK!_

Pain.

It was all she felt during this relentless series of hate-fueled strikes. She had long since given up trying to fight back. Every time she did, he would only hit harder.

_SMACK!_

That, and he said if she tried to again, he would just stab her with his tail and be done with it. He had sounded hopeful when he said that—almost like he wanted her to give him a reason.

_SMACK!_

She just laid there as the dragon she once loved hit her over and over. She had told herself she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't show him how much he had hurt her. It was hard to hold back tears not just of pain, but of sadness as well.

_SMACK!_

The worst part was that she couldn't even see inside his mind anymore, so she didn't even know why he was so mad at her. He had begun wearing skyfire once again, and when she questioned him about it, he had yelled at her to mind her own business.

_SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!_

She heard his heavy breaths after that twenty minute exertion before he sneered in derision and walked away without a word. The door to their room was thrown open and slammed shut. Then, and only then, did she let her tears run free._ Why is this happening to me!? What made Qibli change from the lovable goof he used to be into…this…this MONSTER!?_

Qibli had been acting strange for quite a while, but he had never laid a claw on her…until now. Before, he would just ignore her or yell at her for bugging him, but she had always held out hope that he would come back to his senses one day.

That hope had just disappeared.

Her tears eventually slowed, and her fear turned into anger. She tried, through the unimaginable pain, to stand and eventually succeeded. It was a miracle nothing was broken…yet. If this happened again, she doubted she would be as lucky.

That's why it couldn't happen again.

She would give Thorn one more chance to explain. If she still didn't, desperate measures would need to be taken. It was time to stand up for herself. Blaze had even challenged Thorn for the throne for her when the Queen refused to help. The ex-princess had lost, of course, but she appreciated the effort. She had been banished from the Kingdom instead of outright killed. Some might call that mercy.

She called it sadism.

Blaze had lived a sheltered life. She had never had to fight—even in the war—so she didn't know how to survive on her own. Provided she even made it out of the desert, she would have had to find some sort of job to sustain herself. The only problem with that was that Blaze didn't know how to do anything.

If she hadn't made it out of the desert, it would have been a slow death caused either by starvation or dehydration. Either way, it was highly unlikely that Blaze had survived for the two years since she was exiled.

She sighed as she reached the door and opened it. Her 'fiancé' was nowhere to be seen. Three-and-a-half years ago, they had planned to get married. Qibli had proposed to her after almost four years of dating. The next day, he had gone missing before returning a week later acting different.

He had never mentioned getting married again. It hurt.

Though, she realized that her physical pain outweighed her emotional pain. She didn't really care anymore. Of course, she still wanted the old Qibli back, but that seemed to be less likely with each passing day.

She made her way, carefully, through the halls towards the throne room. That's where Thorn usually was at this hour.

She honestly didn't know why she was bothering trying to get answers from the Queen. She had tried before and the answer had always been the same: "Stay out of Sandwing affairs for your own safety."

She didn't know why Thorn and Qibli had changed so drastically compared to how they used to be. Thorn was such a good Queen when she started. Then, all of a sudden, she had changed, too. Maybe the fact that she was Queen had finally gone to her head. Thorn hadn't struck her as that kind of dragon, but anything was possible.

The Queen had gotten so bad that even her daughter, Sunny, didn't come by to visit anymore. The last time she had been here was four years ago. She had been fine until screams were heard in the night. When they investigated the source of the disturbance, Sunny was gone.

Thorn had been broken up over it, but maybe that was just an illusion. Or maybe that was what caused her downward spiral. Regardless, rumor had it that Sunny was back at Jade Mountain, and that she hadn't left the school ever since her return there. _At least she has dragons who care about her there._

It was true. Sometimes she thought that she was alone here. Nobody cared about her, and nobody would miss her.

Since she was 'technically' family, she was allowed to enter the throne room whenever she liked. That's just what she did, too.

The guards opened the door for her at her approach, and she entered to see that Queen Thorn was talking with none other than her adopted son. Qibli saw her enter, and she saw a prideful smirk forming on his face at how stiff she was walking. For a split second, she second-guessed her decision to come here. She steeled her nerves before walking forward with as serious of an expression as she could.

Thorn turned at her approach, "Ah, Moon, is there something I can help you with?" She blinked in confusion before asking, "What happened to you?"

There was no concern in her voice, merely confusion. Moon glared at the smug Sandwing sitting next to the Queen, "He did," Moon almost growled.

Thorn glanced at her adopted son out of the corner of her eye before continuing, "I see. Well, I've told you before that it is your choice to stay here. Honestly, it baffles me that you still put up with him."

Moon's eyes flew open wide. "BAFFLES YOU!?" she screamed. "It baffles ME that you won't tell me what happened to the dragon I loved!"

The Queen didn't flinch at her outburst. Rather, she narrowed her eyes, "Do try to keep a civil attitude, Moon. Qibli is in charge of running classified operations for me. Other than that, I can not tell you anything, so don't even bother asking me what kind of operations he runs." She turned back to Qibli and waved a claw at her dismissively, "Now if you don't mind, I have important business to attend to. The guards will see you out."

Moon just stared at her in bewilderment. _She doesn't care that I've just been abused! That's it…time for desperate measures._ Moon allowed herself to be lead out of the throne room and back to Qibli's room. It used to be her AND Qibli's room, but he had made it abundantly clear that it was HIS, not hers.

She waited until the guards left her alone. She could sense their thoughts right outside the door. Apparently, she wasn't allowed to leave. _I'll show them._ Being as quiet and as quick as she could while being covered in bruises, she got her satchel and whatever supplies she might need that could be found in the room. She didn't have the luxury to stop anywhere else in the city. She would doubtlessly be caught that way.

Lastly, she grabbed a map of Pyrrhia and laid it on the table. _Where should I go? Jade Mountain would be too obvious. I could make for the tunnel between here and the rainforest. Wait…no…the tunnel's guarded. I suppose I could try to ask one of the other Queens for asylum. I'm sure Glory or Ruby would be more than happy to accept. Though…there's no telling who Thorn might have on her payroll. It's best if I go somewhere isolated, then…but where?_

She thought about it for several minutes before a memory, long buried, made its way to the surface of her mind: "_If you ever need my help, Moon, come and find me. You can always count on me." _

Was it a good idea, though? She knew—rather, she hoped—that he would help her, but she hadn't seen him in seven years. _Not since the night he left._ _I may not know exactly where he went, but I know where to start looking. Besides, if I'm right, he's closest. I just have to hope that he'll keep his promise._

Now that she had a destination, she just had to escape unnoticed. There were guards on either side of the doors…doors that swung outward. She placed a claw on either door and pushed outward as hard as she could. She heard two loud cracks and subsequent clatters as both guards fell to the ground unconscious.

She couldn't help a small giggle before she gasped when shouts were heard down the hall. _I guess they heard that…time to go!_

She was at an extreme disadvantage since she couldn't move very fast due to her injuries, so she had to outsmart them. She broke a window when no one was looking before looking for a place to hide. _No one ever goes into the dungeon unless they have to. They'll never look for me there!_

With her plan decided on, she made her way, undetected into the lowest levels of the palace and waited…and waited…and waited. There were no light sources down here, so she had no way to gauge the time, but she wanted to wait until darkness to leave. That way her scales would give her an advantage. No one would be able to see a flying Nightwing during the night.

After what she estimated to be about seven hours, she cautiously made her way to the door that lead to the arena. She cracked it open ever so slightly, and, seeing no one, leapt into the night sky and winged her way north towards the no-dragon's land between the Sand and Ice Kingdoms.

She timed this perfectly, too. It looked like the sun had just fallen judging by the position of the moons. The only problem in her plan was that she didn't know if she had to go northeast, north, or northwest. After about ten minutes of deliberation mid-flight, she decided on northeast, near the mountains.

After about four hours of flight, she made it to the edge of the desert. If she continued in this direction for another three hours, she would be at the border of the Ice Kingdom. That's not where she wanted to go, though.

She veered to the right slightly to adjust her course when she felt the wind picking up. Twenty minutes later, though, she was forced to land due to a blizzard that had come out of nowhere. She spent the next hour-and-a-half wandering through the storm blindly.

Another round of shivers from the freezing winds racked her frame. _M-Maybe this wasn't such a g-good id-dea._ She had already lost the feeling in her feet and ears, and she knew that meant that she had frostbite. She had heard stories of dragons who lost entire limbs to frostbite—that's not even Icewing frostbreath either. If she stayed out here much longer, she would freeze to death.

Somehow, that thought didn't cause the mind-numbing fear that she thought it would. _It would be so easy to just close my eyes and…wait…what was that._ She thought she saw a flicker of light in the distance. _Maybe it's my mind playing tricks on me, but I'll try it._

As she got closer, though, she could feel the minds of three dragons. Two were asleep…the other was wearing skyfire, so she couldn't tell who it was. Skyfire was rare, though. It could be…_No…I shouldn't get my hopes up yet._

She stumbled around for another ten minutes until she found a door…in the side of a mountain. _Beggars can't be choosers. Here we go!_ She raised her claws and knocked loudly three times.

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

She felt the minds of the two sleeping dragons wake up suddenly and the third dragon was slowly walking towards the door. They were taking too long, though. She was literally freezing her tail off out here.

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

The door was ripped open, and a furious looking Icewing stood in the door before his anger flew away and was replaced by concern and disbelief, "M-Moon!?"

She wanted to smile at him. She wanted to reach forward and hug him and tell him how much she missed him, but whether from the relief at finding him, the exhaustion from the flight here, the cold, or a combination of all three, she could feel herself slipping slowly into unconsciousness. "W-W-Wint-ter-r, h-h-elp-p m-m-me," was the only thing she could say before darkness enveloped her vision, and she fell forward, unconscious.

**AN: Well, I hope it was good. It felt a little rushed to me, but these things aren't supposed to be that long...I don't know. Tell me what you think. Chapter 13 of Dragons change should be done by the end of the week, and the next bonus scene should come the week after.**

**If you have any suggestions for new bonus scenes, tell me.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	3. A Chance at Redemption

**AN: This is an edited and renamed version of my previous one shot Choices. I didn't change too much, but I did change a few things. I doubt anyone will actually read this again, so I'll put all the important announcements on the next one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

A Chance at Redemption

Redemption

It was what every broken and defeated dragon craved. It was what he thought would always be beyond his reach. Now, though… Now he had a chance.

He gazed at all of the dragons gathered around him: Qibli, Kinkajou, his mother—Foeslayer, and…Moon. Oh, how she reminded him of his beloved Clearsight. Neither had trusted him, but he found he couldn't be angry with either of them.

Both had wanted to stop him—what he could make Pyrrhia into. It's almost like they didn't WANT a perfect future. That couldn't be it, could it? Why would anyone pass up on their perfect future?

_Perhaps, it's because it's me._ He understood how manipulative he could be. The 'make everyone like me' spell he had used was the perfect example. _I did it because I had to,_ he thought uncertainly.

That had been why Clearsight and Fathom had betrayed him in the first place, though, wasn't it? He remembered how angry she was at him when she had found out. She had been livid. He thought making everyone like him could prevent that from happening, but, alas, he was wrong. He had failed again.

If Clearsight's reaction to her earring was any example, he should have realized how much dragons didn't like to be meddled with. That Icewing prince—Winter if he remembered correctly—had had a similar reaction. Qibli might have even accepted his offer if he hadn't played with Vulture like he did.

_Would it have mattered, though? None of them trust me—even my own tribe. _ He had enchanted them all to be loyal to him, through their superpowers. Would they have pledged themselves to him if he hadn't manipulated them or would they be terrified of him?

He flipped through the thousands of possible futures in his head, yet none of them were what he wanted. Ruling over Pyrrhia would never bring him happiness, but his other option terrified him.

He could start over, but he would lose his powers, his memory, and his identity. Living as someone else wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to be himself—with all of his powers. When he saw the hopeful look on _her_ face as she held out the strawberry to him, his will began to crack.

_I can't be killed, and I won't go back to sleep for another two thousand years. I can either kill all of them—even my mother…even Moon—and rule the world as its King. Or I lose my identity to keep the world safe._

He saw all of the faces and expressions around him: distrust, disappointment, anger, hatred. Moon still had hope; she still believed in him. Even after everything that he had done, she still believed in him. _Did Clearsight still believe in me? Did she still love me? Or was I just a monster to her after everything I did?_

Everything that he had been through—both then and now—had been thought of as evil by others. _They were right, but I just didn't want to believe them. Now I have proof, though. The soul reader says I'm evil. They all think I'm evil…except her._

A moment of clarity struck him, _Everything I did was because of my powers. They are responsible for everything that's happened to me. Killing my father, trying to wipe out the Icewings…twice, trapping Indigo in that wooden carving—all of that was done using my powers. If I never had powers—if I was…ordinary—would any of it had happened? Would I still be the evil villain?_

They were all waiting for his choice.

He had to give them his answer, so what would it be? _ I already know, though, don't I?_ His face softened as his gaze once again landed on the strawberry. "Everything I am is because of my powers, but was it worth it in the end?" He had spoken softly, regretfully. He looked over to Moon. She was the only one he felt could replace Clearsight. He trusted her, even if she didn't trust him. "My power or my chance at redemption are my two choices. In my perfect world, I could have both…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "But this isn't my perfect world," he said as he gazed at all of the faces looking to him.

"The world would have been safer without me. I understand that now. My lust for power, control, and revenge turned me into what I had despised in my father." He took the small fruit into his massive paws and stared at it, "My powers are what did this to me."

Moon stepped toward him. Qibli tried to stop her, but she kept going, "Darkstalker?" She spoke quietly and her voice was full of pride. He looked to her and saw a small smile on her face, "I'm proud of you for coming to realize that."

_She's proud of me! _He thought elatedly, but it was short-lived as the gravity of the situation came rushing back onto him, "Before I do this, Moon, I wish to do one last thing." She looked at him puzzled as he grabbed a stone from the ground, "Stone, turn into a piece of onyx."

The stone complied and turned into a piece of onyx. The faces of all around him became more worried as they took a step away. _They fear me…I never wanted this._ He never wanted dragons to fear him—respect…yes, admire…definitely, fear…no. He didn't want dragons to fear him or his powers because he didn't want to be seen as evil. _But that's what I am._

_ Perhaps it would be best if none of the others knew about this_, "I want to speak with you, Moon, alone…" The request hung in the air as she looked to her friends and they looked back at her. None of them wanted to leave her alone with him—especially Qibli. He understood, of course, if their places were swapped, he would have a similar reaction. After a heated argument, they finally left—including his mother—and Moon turned around and walked back to him.

"Onyx, I give to you all of my powers: mind-reading, foresight, and animus magic. You will act as a vessel for this power until such time that Moon or whoever she chooses releases it—either completely or selectively—back to me, whatever or whoever I may become. I also enchant this onyx to act as a conduit to my mind so that Moon can use it to talk with me." A flash of pain went through him as images engrained themselves in his mind. It was flashes of a future. THE future. It wasn't pretty.

He felt a sensation flowing through him and into the onyx in his claws. The steady minor headache that accompanied his foresight—gone. The cacophony of voices inside his head from his mind reading—gone. The tingle in his claws that signified his animus powers—gone. They were all gone. Now he was ordinary. He was safe.

Once they were all gone, it felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from him, and he released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. It was almost like he had been trapped in darkness, and he had finally found the light. His thoughts of ruling and conquest had suddenly been replaced with disgust for the very idea. He felt lighter without his power's corruptive influence inside of him. He…liked it.

He was happy.

He looked up and gave her the glowing piece of onyx. Her shocked face made him chuckle slightly. Moon sat in front of him holding the piece of onyx to her chest, "Why me?"

If this was to be his final moments as himself, then he had to tell her the truth. He had to confess to her everything that he truly felt. He didn't want to say this in front of others which is another reason he had asked to speak with her alone.

At least his conscience would be clear.

"Because I trust you, Moon. You are my friend." She looked at him skeptically. He didn't need to read minds to know what she was probably thinking. He smiled at her as if she was an old friend, "I can't manipulate you anymore, Moon. I'm actually being genuine for the first time in…ever, I think."

He brought one of his claws up and gently caressed her face. It was pitiful how his mere paw was almost the size of Moon herself, but he saw her close her eyes and lean gently into his touch. Tears began to form in her eyes, "I'll miss you," she said after a moment.

His heart ached. "I'll miss you, too." He wished he could stay just for her, but after all of his recent actions, no one would ever trust him again. _Except her. _"Perhaps, if things had been different, we wouldn't have to say goodbye. Maybe we could have been happy together. You may not believe me, but I never wanted to hurt you. You were the safest dragon in Pyrrhia while you were with me."

He leant down and gently kissed her cheek. "I love you, my little Moon," he whispered in her ear. "I have since I first touched your mind. I would have done anything to make you happy, but I hope you can find the same happiness that you gave me."

He heard her gasp from his confession and she looked up as he ate the strawberry, "NO! DARKSTALKER, PLEASE! YOU JERK! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THIS!" She yelled at him as a few tears slipped from her eyes.

He felt himself shrinking. He had done it. He could start again, but at what cost? The grief in his little Moon's eyes made his own damp, but he smiled at her, "I'm sorry, little Moon. Wake me…when you need me."

He was getting smaller; he didn't have much time, "I need to warn you, Moon. Your future is a dark one, now. Beware the dragons who change."

He was becoming less aware of his self as the spell started changing his identity, but the last words he heard before he was gone forever was…

_"I'll never forget you."_

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	4. The Resurrection

**AN: First off, I should let you know that there are two POVs in this one. Darkstalker has the first and third parts while Moon has the second part. The end of Moon's part was partially inspired by the song One More Light by Linkin Park. That song is what got me out of my writer's block and motivated me to finish this one up. I'll put an asterisk * at the part I'm talking about in case anyone is curious.**

**As for the timeline, the first part takes place one day before the second, and the second/third take place during chapter 6.**

**On another note, school starts tomorrow for me, so updates to my stories will probably become fewer and farther between. I'm not giving up on them, though. I will do my best to keep updating in a reasonable time frame but school comes first for me. I'm going to apologize in advance for anything that takes a while to come out.**

**I also want everyone to know that Dragons Change has over 10k total views now! Holy Geez, People! I didn't think this story would become so popular! I'm happy to be proven wrong, though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire.**

The Resurrection

**Darkstalker:**

There was almost never anything to do in this void. Most of the time, he was too exhausted to even care, so he would simply sleep—if one wanted to call it that. When he slept, he had dreams…no, not dreams…visions. Memories.

He saw the life that was his yet wasn't his.

He saw, felt, heard, smelled, and tasted everything that his living prison did. He lived a life that wasn't his and couldn't control. It was strange to experience, but he didn't complain. For all he knew, he was lucky to have this much.

For instance, instead of experiencing the outside world through senses that weren't his, he could be stuck in a void with no escape before slowly going mad at the lack of…anything.

So no, he wasn't complaining.

It wasn't all bad, either. He got to see his mother in these memories. He got to see how his tribe was faring. Until recently, they had been happy with their new life. Now, though, through the eyes that weren't his, he could see the fear on those same faces. More importantly, he saw the destruction.

Darkstalker knew what that meant. After all, he had warned Moon that this time would come. He knew what was happening out there even if his prison didn't.

The Changewings were here.

Since he had given up his powers before he could truly delve into these events, he didn't know exactly what would happen. He could only hope that Moon would remember his parting words to her. He could only hope that his chance of freedom was close.

Three Moons would be good to be free again! There was the question of what he would do, though. After getting rid of his powers six—no…seven—years ago, the fog over his mind had lifted. He could finally see with a clear head the horrors that he had wrought with those same powers. Would he still see clearly if those powers were returned to him?

Or would they have the same corrupting influence, turning him into a monster once more? The truth of the matter was he didn't want to take the chance. If those powers came with temptation, it would be best to remove temptation from his path. It was the only decent thing to do.

He didn't want to be the villain anymore. He wanted to be the dragon that Clearsight thought he could be…the dragon that Moon knew he could be. After everything he did, though, would he even get that chance?

If he only the chance…

The point was moot, though. There was nothing he could do.

"Isn't there?" Darkstalker opened his eyes to the same dark void when he heard the voice. He saw a darker spot in the background—which was saying something since this place was darker than a moonless night.

A voice he hadn't heard in seven years answered the new voice. It took him a few moments to realize it was he who spoke. _I had almost forgotten what my voice sounded like!_ "Who are you?"

"My name is Shadeslayer, but I prefer to be called Shade. I am the Spirit of Night, and you, Darkstalker, will be my Champion." Just as suddenly as he arrived, he disappeared without a trace.

Once he was gone, his eyes became heavy once more, and he fell asleep to experience the life that wasn't his. All the while, he felt a smile on his maw. He would get his chance after all.

**Moon:**

She stormed through the village with an ugly sneer on her face. _That arrogant Icewing dared to slap ME!? Where does he come off thinking that was remotely acceptable?_ It still stung slightly were his paw had made contact, and she was pretty sure that his claws had left a few scratches.

She didn't care. She would wear them proudly to show the world just what kind of a dragon he was. There was a small part of her mind that thought he was in the right—that SHE was the one who acted out of line.

She absolutely hated herself for that weak part of her mind.

That Icewing had promised her that he would always be willing to help her, and he pulls a stunt like this? _Oath-breaker!_ She mentally yelled her anger and frustration. It didn't matter to her, either way. She knew someone else who had promised his help.

_Wake me if you need me_, he had said.

Well, she needed him.

First things first, though. She needed to retrieve his vessel from where she hid it. He had entrusted it to her, and it was something far too important to leave it in her hut or in someone else's care. She had brought it with her to the Sand Kingdom when she left and hid it from everyone…even Qibli.

She mentally sighed, he anger momentarily lessening at the thought of her previous love. _I miss him. I wonder if I'll ever see him again?_ She shook her head clear of such thoughts. _It doesn't matter. He's not here to help, so he doesn't matter right now._

She had put in her satchel when she left, and since she had constantly been on the move, she hadn't had a chance to place it anywhere safer. After checking to make sure she didn't have it on her, she made her way back to her hut. She received a few strange looks from the other dragons in the village since she wasn't supposed to be alone…or maybe it was because of the face she was making.

It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered right now is retrieving the vessel, so she could begin his resurrection. _That sounded a lot creepier than I thought it would._ She made it back to her hut and looked around to make sure no one was around before entering and closing the leaf curtain.

Her bed was a hammock attached to two of the hut's supporting posts. She wasn't after her bed, though. She moved the pile of leaves and grass under her bed to reveal a spot of freshly dug dirt. She went out to make sure no one was coming. _Still clear._ Without any hesitation, she began digging in that spot. It didn't take long for her to find her satchel.

She reached in and immediately felt the strangely warm and tingly sensation that his vessel gave upon contact. She smiled to herself. _Now, I just have to find Peace…Hope should know where to find him. And if she tries to stop me…well, she won't._

She replaced the mound of dirt before placing the pile of leaves and stuff over it again. The satchel was placed around her neck and hidden underneath her wing. The leather it was made from blended into her scales to make it even harder to spot. That's why she had bought it in the first place. She wasn't taking any chance with something as important as the object it contained.

Once again, she trekked through the village with a new destination in mind. She had a vague idea of where to find Hope. After the destruction of the Nightwing village, _And the death of my mother, _she continued. That mental thought made her physically stumble as the reality hit her suddenly. _My mother is dead. I'll never get to see her again…hear her voice…never get to go to her for support when I'm upset._

She saw a few dragons stop to stare at her, and she wondered why before she realized the truth. Silent tears were falling from her eyes because of her current line of thinking. Her eyes hardened again, "Don't any of you have anything better to do!?"

After hearing the anger in her voice, they all either flew away or camouflaged to escape her wrathful gaze. With that particular problem taken care of, she resumed her march to where she believed that Hope was. She stopped outside of a hut on the north side of the Rainwing village. She could definitely feel someone's mind inside.

Without further ado, she knocked forcefully on the wooden door. She felt the mild surprise from the resident inside. _I wonder who that is at the door. Peace isn't due back for a few more hours._

That confirmed who it was inside at least. The door opened a few moments later to reveal a slightly surprised Hope on the other side. "Moon? This is quite a surprise…Oh my, what happened?" She felt the larger Nightwing trace the scratches on her cheek, and she winced slightly. _I guess they're still a little tender._

At the evident care and concern in Hope's voice, Moon's anger almost completely dissipated. Tears once again threatened to fall from her eyes. She could feel Hope's concern for her mount, and she felt bad for worrying her like this. Hope had always been kind to her. When she returned to visit her mother during her breaks at Jade Mountain, she would always come visit Hope and Peacemaker, too.

Peace had almost become a little brother to her, and Hope was…she reminded her of her own mother. She was always willing to help Moon if she needed it. She was always giving her gifts for her hatch days. Hope and Secretkeeper had also become very close friends. She honestly didn't know why the older Nightwing was so kind to her. Maybe it was because she had saved her son's life. Maybe this was her way of showing her gratitude.

Whatever the case was, Moon needed support right now, and Hope was the best place to get it. There was almost no hesitation when she replied, "My m-mother is dead."

Sympathy filled the larger Nightwing's eyes, "I know. I grieve the loss of a friend, but I can only imagine what you are feeling right now. Why don't you come in for a while and sit?" Hope moved to the side, and Moon decided to take her up on her offer. Some friendly company sounded good right now.

Moon sat down by the table, and Hope brought over a cup of fruit juice for her. She accepted before taking a small sip. "Thank you, Hope."

She nodded before sitting beside her, "Do you want to talk about it?" Moon shook her head, and Hope nodded in acceptance. "You know we were both worried when we didn't hear from you in so long."

Moon gasped and nearly spilled her drink. _I sent letters almost every month! 'Qibli' must have stopped them from being sent!_ "Sorry," she replied to Hope's concerned face. "I tried to, but…"

After she trailed off, Hope leaned down and gently asked, "But what?"

Moon wrestled with herself internally before quickly coming to a decision. If Hope was like a second mother to her, then she deserved to know the truth of what happened.

So she told her…

It took several hours and more than a few emotional outbursts before the tale was finished, and by the end of it, Hope had wrapped the smaller Nightwing in a comforting embrace. They were both silent for a long time afterwards as they merely took solace in the other's company.

Moon reached over to grab her satchel but stopped. Guilt and doubt was beginning to eat away at her. Here she was mourning the loss of her mother, but she wanted to ask Hope to give up her son. How could she justify this? Revenge? Justice?

Moon avoided eye contact as she grabbed a smooth object from the satchel and placed it on the table. She heard a small gasp followed by a long, LONG, stretch of silence. Moon was starting to regret her choice and reached up to take it back when a gentle paw was placed atop hers. Moon looked up to see the overwhelming sadness in the older Nightwing's eyes. "Are you sure this is the only way?" Hope asked after a moment.

She nodded solemnly, "He warned me this would happen. I need his help."

"Who's help?" a new voice chimed in.

They both looked up, and Moon panicked a little when she saw who it was. Hope was the one who answered, "Peace, honey, I thought you would be gone longer?"

"I got done early," was his simple reply. Moon quickly hid the onyx vessel from his sight before he turned to address her. "Hello, I'm…Moon?" He tilted his head, and she could tell he was skeptical.

She giggled slightly, "No, I'm Moon. You're Peacemaker."

The younger Nightwing's eyes opened wide in surprise when he realized that this actually WAS Moon, "Moon!" He jumped forward and threw his arms around her, "I missed you, Moon! And I'm…sorry for your loss," he finished kind of awkwardly.

A small, sad smile made its way onto her face, "Thank you, Peace." She looked back at Hope and received a small nod in return. She mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' to which Hope shook her head. _Don't be, _Hope's voice sounded in her head. _I'll miss Peacemaker, but Darkstalker is my real son. Promise me that you'll bring him back to me when you're done. _

Moon nodded before turning to Peacemaker, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

The younger dragon was all to willing to go for a walk with her, "I know! I can show you my strawberry patch!"

Moon nodded with a small smile, "I'd like that."

They walked through the village once again as they made their way south. Peacemaker kept trying to start a conversation and Moon tried her best to stay engaged, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Eventually, Peacemaker stopped trying altogether.

That made her feel worse.

*****When they made it to the strawberry patch, Moon was surprised by a few things. First, this place was huge! You could build at least three large huts in this area with a little room to spare!

Second, it was right next to the southern wall. Wasn't it dangerous to be this close to the wall?

Third, it was almost completely isolated. There was no one here except for them. In fact, she hadn't seen or heard anyone in the last twenty or so minutes.

Almost like he was reading her mind, Peace said, "I put my strawberry patch here because I like the peace and quiet. Nobody ever comes this far out."

_That's good. I don't want anyone else to see this._ She brought out the piece of onyx and shuddered. The sensation was different this time. It felt…excited.

Like it knew its owner was close.

"What's that?" Peace asked.

"It's nothing," she answered…a little too quickly.

"Moon, are you okay?" He asked, concerned. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'll do my best to help."

That was enough for her emotions to overwhelm her. Here he was, placing his trust and love on Moon, and she was about to betray him. He tried to come closer, but she shook her head, "N-no! S-stay there!" She lifted the onyx with shaky claws before looking at his confused and hurt expression, "I'm sorry," she breathed out. She looked at the onyx again and whispered a single name, "Darkstalker?"

She heard Peacemaker stumble and fall. When she looked up, she saw the panic in his eyes, "M-Moon? W-what are y-you doing? I-I feel funny."

The tears came faster when he said that, but she managed to say, "Shh…It'll be okay, Peace." She looked back at the stone in her paws. Why was she doing this? What gave her the right to end Peace's existence? He trusted her, yet she was about to erase his entire life. _Who cares if someone's time runs out if a moment is all we are?_

She was beginning to hate herself for this. She wanted to stop. She wished everything was back to normal, so she and Peace could go back to picking strawberries while laughing because they were eating as many as they picked…she wished things could go back to the way they were.

She tightened her grip on the stone. _They can't, though, can they? My mother is dead. Doing this to Peace may not be right, but I need _his_ help._ She steeled herself before whispering into the stone, "Wake up, Darkstalker. I need you."

**Darkstalker:**

By his estimate, it had only been a day before his prison walked into his house to see a distraught looking Moon. He had been asleep at that point, like always, so he couldn't do anything other than watch the scene play out.

They walked through the forest until they were back at the strawberry patch. Though he was asleep, he knew what was about to happen. His chance was so close! The walk and small conversation after they had gotten here was unbelievably slow to him.

'_Darkstalker?'_

Within his prison, Darkstalker's eyes flew open. With that single utterance of his name, he was more awake then he had ever been. He felt his prison stumble before falling. He heard his prison panicking as he asked Moon what she was doing, but he didn't care.

He wanted his body back.

He saw Moon hesitate, and he growled in frustration. Why hadn't she released him yet? She was so close! Was she actually taking pity on his prison? It wasn't a real dragon! It was artificially created with animus magic—HIS animus magic. Why would anyone miss something that wasn't actually real?

_Come on, Moon! RELEASE ME!_

He could feel the surface of this endless void, yet he was cruelly being held back from breaking it. _I'm so close! RELEASE ME, MOON!_

He saw the determination enter her eyes again before she uttered the magic words, _'Wake up, Darkstalker. I need you.'_

He felt the weight holding him back release him as he broke through with a roar. He felt his body returning to its old form…and size. Not only that, he felt all of his powers returning to him. Just as he thought, the corruptive fog was beginning to settle over his mind. He had to make this quick.

With the transformation completed, he opened his eyes before thinking up the wording he would need for this spell, "I enchant myself to take the form of my fifteen-year-old self." With that sentence, he felt his body shrinking until he was only a few heads taller than Moon, who was looking at him with a mixture of astonishment and wariness.

"Before you say anything, I have some insight to gain. Give me an hour," he said before closing his eyes. First rule of looking into the future, if you want it to change, don't tell anyone. When you do, they end up meeting their fate on the road they take to avoid it. If you don't, they wouldn't know anything was about to happen, and ninety percent of the time, the bad thing that was about to happen…doesn't happen. It's kind of weird, but that's how it works.

No matter what he saw, he wouldn't tell Moon unless he needed to. _Speaking of which, why do I keep seeing that Icewing from seven years ago? He must be important for some reason…oh, he just died. Nevermind. Wait a minute, that happens today. Why does he appear afterwards, then? _

_ There are forces at play that even I don't fully comprehend. _He felt a prophecy begin to bubble to the surface, but he merely brushed it aside. Once you learned to ignore such instincts, it was easy to…well, ignore them. _Let's see…assassination plot on the Skywing Prince, Anemone gets kidnapped…that's no good. She may have been a brat, but she doesn't deserve any of this._

_ It's that Icewing again. Where is he at, though? This place is unlike any I have seen…Woah! I know what that thing is! _

_ …_

_ …_

_ The Icewing can control it!? I thought for sure he was about to implode…Dang it. So this Icewing is going to be the new owner of the Anchor?_

_ This ought to be interesting._

He opened his eyes again and smiled at Moon, "Did you see anything worth mentioning?" she asked.

He shook his head as he returned his animus and foresight powers to his vessel, "No. Nothing."

**AN: I hope everyone enjoyed it. What did you think about the end of Moon's part? Did you think the song fits with the scene? Did anybody even listen to it? Should I just shut up now?**

**I've got two ideas for the next scene, and I can't decide on which one I want to write first. You guys can help me decide by voicing your opinions in a review.**

**Should I write Flint's perspective when Winter kills 'Mangrove' in chapter 5?**

**Or should I write a chapter with everyone's reactions to Winter's death at the end of chapter 6?**

**The second option is kind of what I'm leaning towards, but I like them both.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	5. Here Lies Winter

Here Lies Winter

**AN: One of each in one weekend! Don't get comfortable with that arrangement.**

**The beginning of this was kind of hard to write, and I'm not completely satisfied with Flint's or Turtle and Kinkajou's parts. I think Glory, Blaze, and Darkstalker's parts were pretty decent. I'll straight up admit that I almost cried twice while writing Moon's part. It probably didn't help that I was listening to emotional LoTR music (Sounds of the Shire if you're curious). Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one. I spent all day writing this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OC Flint belongs to me.**

**Flint:**

No matter how fast Flint pumped his legs, Winter kept pulling away from him. When he lost sight of his adopted Icewing brother, he began to panic, "Winter! Slow down! I can't keep up!"

No response.

He tried running faster but stumbled momentarily. He wasn't built for sprinting through the trees like Winter was. He cursed to himself before resuming his frantic pace. There was a break in the roughage up ahead, and he could barely see Winter facing down a female Nightwing.

He saw his brother's confusion as he lifted his claws up to his neck. He kept running. He saw the trail of blue blood pooling around Winter's feet. He ran faster. He watched as the Icewing fell, "NOOOO!" He saw red once he saw Deathbringer standing above his fallen brother with a chakram poised to strike.

He broke through the trees with the loudest, angriest, and most grief-stricken roar he had ever loosed as he slammed into the two startled Nightwings. He had grabbed Deathbringer by the throat as he rolled before popping back up and bodily throwing him through a nearby small tree. The female tried to intervene by jumping on his back, but he merely jumped up before landing on his back, crushing her.

He turned with a snarl on his face and a fist poised and ready to cave her head in before stopping in surprise once he saw who it was, "Raven? W-what—AH!" he yelled in pain when another two chakrams buried themselves in his side, and he turned—momentarily forgetting his downed prey to confront his other enemy.

Except there was no one there. He turned every which way, expecting another attack at any moment before hearing a strange sound behind him. He whirled around with a growl, only to notice that Raven was gone now, too.

He loosed another ferocious roar as he yelled, "I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! THE NEXT TIME YOU SEE MY FACE WILL BE WHEN I'M CLAWING YOUR HEART OUT! YOU HEAR ME!?"

All at once, his anger dissipated when he remembered Winter's prone form, and he rushed over—hoping beyond hope that he was still alive. "No…no, no, no…Winter!? Winter, look at me! Come on, open your eyes!"

Winter's body was motionless as Flint lost all semblance of control, and heavy tears fell to the ground. He picked up his brother's corpse and buried his face into Winter's now-warming scales as he broke down into uncontrollable sobs. His voice was broken and come out as a whimper as he begged Winter to come back, "_Please don't leave me! Come back, Winter! Please, come back…"_

He received no answer. He stayed like that for hours until he realized the cold-hearted truth: his brother was dead. He couldn't save him, just as he couldn't save his sisters.

The world had ripped away everyone he ever cared about, and he had lost most of his will to fight. His sisters were dead and now his brother was as well.

He placed Winter's body on his back as he began the walk back to the village. His head was hung low in despair as he whispered to the motionless corpse on his back, "I don't know if I can live without you anymore, Winter. What is my purpose now that you're gone?"

**Turtle and Kinkajou:**

Blaze had gone to the healer's hut after Flint took off after Winter to get her arm looked at. Turtle probably should have offered to loan her his rock, but in the heat of the moment, he had just forgotten. He and Kinkajou had been waiting next to Flint's hut for the last few hours. Both of them were beyond worried at this point.

It was when the sun was beginning to go down when they heard heavy clawsteps heading their way. They both perked up when they saw Flint break through the trees, but their hope turned to horror when they saw the motionless corpse of their friend on his back.

"W-what happened?" Turtle was able to ask while Kinkajou broke down into tears as she buried her head in his chest.

"I wasn't fast enough," the Mudwing answered in a dead-sounding tone. He dropped Winter's body on the ground of his hut with great care before walking off.

"Wait, Flint! Where are you going?" Turtle yelled in confusion.

The Mudwing stopped and turned to look at them. A single tear fell down Flint's cheek, and Turtle's breath hitched at the amount of pain in his eyes. "To dig his grave."

With that, he walked off without another word. A few of Turtle's own tears mixed with Kinkajou's as he turned back to look at his fallen friend. _I guess I'll never be able to make everything up to him now…_

"W-we should t-tell the others, r-right?" Kinkajou sniffed as she looked up at him. Her scales had turned completely grey with splotches of white.

Turtle nodded, "I think the Queen should know, too." He pulled her closer to him again as he felt his emotions break free of their restraints. His friend was dead, and nothing—not even the powerful magic at his command—could bring him back.

**Glory:**

She just glared at the smug Nightwing standing in her pavilion when she walked in. He may have shrunk to a much more normal size, but she recognized the dragon who once proclaimed himself King of one of her tribes before taking them off to war with the Icewings.

"You have some nerve coming in here like you own the place!" she yelled at him. His smirk only widened. "Guards! Arrest him!"

The Rainwing guards looked around in confusion while the Nightwings were all but shaking with fear, "I'm not going near the Darkstalker, no way! Sorry, My Queen, but I don't wish to die today!" Her glare switched from Darkstalker, who she noticed stop smirking at her captain's declaration, to her captain. "Some Captain you are, Secretfire," she scoffed at him.

"Queen Glory, if I may?" Darkstalker asked. She looked back at him before he continued, "I come to help with your…recent troubles."

"You…help? Really?" she scoffed at him again. "You only help yourself."

"Your confidence in me is flattering, but in this case, it isn't true. I'm doing this not for you nor myself," he looked away when the curtain to the pavilion opened to reveal a Seawing.

"Your Majesty?" his asked with a sullen expression. His gaze was distant, and his body seemed heavy under an invisible weight.

"Not now, Turtle, I'm—" she stopped when she looked at him and saw his condition. "By the moons, are you okay? You look terrible!"

He looked at Darkstalker for a moment with pure anger before turning his gaze back to the Queen. His anger disappeared and his tone blank once more when he addressed her, "Winter is dead."

Her eyes flew open wide when she heard this, "He's—How? How did he…" Turtle shook his head. He didn't know. She looked down at her talons as she walked over to her desk and sat down. She put her head in her talons before knocking everything on the desk off in a fit of short-lived rage, "DAMNIT!" She sighed heavily. "Damnit," she whispered, defeated. "Thank you for telling me, Turtle. You are dismissed."

The Seawing bowed before leaving. Darkstalker took this moment to give his input, "It seems like your so-called hero has fallen. Allow me to offer my services," he bowed.

She glared at him again, "Why do I get the feeling you knew this was going to happen?"

"Because I did," he said simply, "I saw it in the possible futures."

She sneered at him, "Of course you did." She sighed, "Did you see anything else I should know?"

Darkstalker's gaze hardened, "I learned from past experience to never tell the future to a Queen, so you'll forgive me that I won't answer."

She rolled her eyes but didn't complain, "Alright fine, you can stay. I'll accept your help even if I don't like it." He bowed once more before he left. _Why do I get the feeling that I will forever regret this decision?_

**Darkstalker:**

_Well, I think that went well, considering,_ he thought when he walked out of Glory's pavilion. He absolutely _hated_ that a Rainwing was ruling as the Nightwing Queen. It would have taken action to remedy that situation if not for the small modicum of respect that he held for her.

That, and Moon probably wouldn't be happy with him if he did.

Either way it didn't matter. He needed to find Moon in order to break the news to her. He was kind of looking forward to seeing her reaction…in a sort of twisted way. It's not like he took enjoyment from other's miseries. Everyone thought he did, though, so he acted like the villain they all thought him to be.

The fearful looks he received from the other Nightwings didn't sit very well with him, but he paid them no mind. He had a friend to check up on.

_Friend? How many of those have I ever had?_ It's true. By his reckoning, only Clearsight and Fathom were even close to being considered friends of his, but they both died thousands of years ago. Turtle kind of looked like Fathom, though. At first, he hated the Seawing for that, but now it was a sort of comfort for him. Fathom did what was best for him, and now that he understood that, he wasn't as angry at him anymore.

He rather hoped that he and Turtle could become friends. If he closed his eyes, he could pretend that Moon was Clearsight and Turtle was Fathom. He could pretend that everyone he knew wasn't actually long gone. He sighed.

He shouldn't focus on this right now. There was time to grieve for everyone he cared about later…where no one could see him. He needed to find Moon. He stretched out his mind to look for her before finding her in his mother's house. He smiled to himself.

It made him beyond happy that Moon and his mother got along as well as they did. He made his way over there before stopping outside of the door. _Yep, they're in there._ He opened the quietly and smiled. It looked like they were cooking something…with strawberries. He wrinkled his snout in disgust. _I don't think I'll ever look at a strawberry the same way again after last time._

He snuck up behind Moon before placing a paw over her eyes, "Guess who?" he whispered in her ear. Her surprised yelp made him laugh.

"What—I didn't even hear you coming! How did you…" she looked at him confused.

"Do you think I haven't learned a thing or two about blocking my thoughts from others in the last two thousand years?" he smirked. "Hey, mom," he waved at her.

"Hey, Sweetie," she smiled at him. "Did you need something?"

He nodded, "Can I borrow Moon for a few minutes? I need to talk to her about something." Moon and Hope looked between each other in confusion at his suddenly serious expression.

Moon just shrugged before following him outside. He flew up to a suntime platform with Moon behind him. It was still early morning, so there was no one else up here to hear their conversation. "What are we doing up here, Darkstalker?"

Darkstalker was silent for a moment before answer, "For some privacy. I thought the subject of discussion warranted some." He could hear her confusion through her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Darkstalker wouldn't look at her. He merely watched the horizon with a thoughtful expression. "Darkstalker?"

When he answered, he kept his gaze on the horizon. Now, he didn't really want to see her reaction anymore. He didn't like seeing her hurt, and he could hear that a small part of her was still thinking about the Icewing. There was no avoiding it, though. "I thought you should know that the Icewing you so despise is dead," he looked at her with a blank expression when he finished.

Her expression was full of surprise…and guilt. He was afraid this might happen. "Winter…is dead?" he nodded. She looked away, but he didn't need to see her face to know her sorrow. "I'm sorry, but I need to go." She took off without another word.

He sighed. Everything was so much simpler when Icewings and Nightwings were mortal enemies. Things were so much easier back when everyone who wasn't a Nightwing was almost a guaranteed enemy…with a few exceptions. He smiled. _Wherever you are, Fathom, I hope I've proven myself to you and Clearsight._

**Moon:**

After Darkstalker told her about what happened to Winter, she flew somewhere that no one could find her: Peacemaker's strawberry garden. He had been right. No one traveled this close to the south wall.

She touched down and noticed that there were a few weeds growing among the strawberry plants. It only served as a reminder of the other friend that she hurt and lost. Peacemaker may not have been a real dragon, but to her, he was real enough. He was almost like a little brother to her…and now he was gone.

She was glad Darkstalker was back, but she still missed Peacemaker. She began pulling out the weeds even though she knew it was futile. She didn't know a thing about gardening, and it was doubtful that anyone else would tend to this place. In time, this place would be reclaimed by the rainforest.

She stopped and just sat down as the reality settle upon her shoulders. Winter was dead, and the last thing the two of them did together was fight. They both said some terrible things, but Moon knew that Winter didn't mean any of them. He had just been hurt by what she said.

The worst part about that whole situation was that she didn't feel any regret about saying the things that she did. They weren't true, either, but…

A few tears slid down her cheeks. Winter was a troubled soul, and he deserve many of the things that his life threw at him. He didn't deserve to be disowned by his family and exiled just because he wasn't the best at everything he did. He made mistakes just like all dragons. He was short-tempered, selfish at times, blunt, and he always tried to act superior than everyone around him. _At least, that's how he used to be._

Winter was different now. He showed his emotions more, and it seemed like he was always trying to help those in need…_especially me._

She knew he still loved her. She doubted that he ever stopped loving her, and she would be lying if she said that she didn't care for him. Despite his shortcomings, Winter was a good dragon. He would give his life for those he cared about. _He did give his life, too. And how did I thank him for helping me?_

Lies and falsehoods that probably damaged an already fragile soul._ I'm a terrible dragon!_ _ I took advantage of him! I became everything that I hated about 'Qibli' in the end! I should go see him…one last time. He may not be able to hear my apology, but I should tell him anyway._

With her decision made, she took wing to the most probable place to find him. She alit on the walkway leading into the healer's hut. Just as she expected, Winter's body was lying on one of the beds. Surprisingly enough, his body wasn't decomposing at all, and the blood that covered the large, gruesome gash on his neck was still wet. _How long ago did he die? It seems like he just did._

Flint was standing over his body protectively as he glared at her with unmeasurable anger. She could hear that he blamed her for his death, "Leave! Haven't you done enough? Let me grieve my brother in peace."

He was angry and it sounded like he was barely holding it together, and she didn't blame him. However, she was here for a reason, "I know you blame me for what happened, Flint, and you have every right to hate me, but please…let me pay my final respects."

He growled at her, "Why? You tormented his every waking moment in life. Can you not give him a moment's peace even in death?" A few tears fell from his eyes, and that in turn prompted a few of her own tears to fall.

"He was my friend, too, Flint," she tried to plead.

Apparently it was the wrong thing to say. He stalked over to her with tense muscles and a snarl, "Your friend!? You don't deserve to call yourself his friend! He loved you, Moon, but you took advantage of him!"

She closed her eyes and looked down in shame as fresh tears fell and she began sobbing, "I know! I hate myself for doing it, and I would do anything to have him back!" She was on the ground at this point as her voice began breaking from the emotions. "W-why do I always h-hurt the ones c-closest to m-me!?" she yelled in despair.

She felt strong yet gentle talons grab her and lift her up and pull her into an embrace, "Because if there were none close to us, there would be no one to hurt. Go to him…say your last goodbyes. His funeral is tomorrow. I hope you'll be there to see him off on his final journey."

She nodded against the Mudwing's chest before he released her and walked out of the door. He looked back only once before he was out of sight.

Moon walked over to Winter's bed with still moist eyes and sat down beside him. His body was in remarkably pristine condition for a corpse. _Did Turtle use his magic to preserve him like this forever? He looks…peaceful._ She smiled sadly down at him. "I know we didn't part on the best terms, Winter," she whispered to him.

"And I know that this is too late, but if you can hear me…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for everything. Flint told me that you thought me a lot," she sighed wistfully. "I thought of you, too…especially on the bad days. I always wondered if I did the right thing by letting you leave that night on Jade Mountain. Looking back, I wish I had gone with you…because I loved you, too." She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek as she began crying again, "You were one of the best friends I ever had…and I'll never forget you!"

Her grief was so great that she didn't notice another visitor watching the scene with her own tears.

**Blaze:**

Blaze had all but disappeared once news of Winter's death had spread around the village. Though many of the dragons here didn't know him personally, they knew by the expressions of his friends and the Queen that a dragon undeserving of this fate had been taken from the world.

In these times, despair and grief were common, but no matter how many good dragons had lost their lives, no one had gotten used to living without their friends and loved ones.

Blaze's entire family besides Smolder was dead, and the two of them had never really interacted much. She had lived alone for almost three years and Winter was her first true friend, but still she had been robbed of his company.

When she had sworn her service to him, he had no way of knowing just how much that simple action meant. There was just something about him that drew her in. Maybe it was his charm or his manner or maybe it was because his heart was always in the right place.

He was always trying to help those in need, but this time, it had cost him his life. She should have been there behind him when he ran off after the assassin. She should have done something—anything—to aid him rather than worrying about herself, but she hadn't. Now, she had to live with the consequences of her choice.

When she first heard the news, she had felt as if her world meant nothing anymore. Her one, true friend was dead…and she didn't do anything to prevent it. What was the point of all of her suffering in the desert if she couldn't deal with one large cut? Worse had befallen her during that time, and she had pushed through it.

She didn't know anymore. She wanted to catch the ones responsible, but she didn't even know where to start. Winter had been her leader. She would have followed him wherever his path lead if he asked her to. He had earned her loyalty and dedication through his kind deed to her.

She had finally decided to go visit his body to say everything she had wanted to say to him when she saw Moon doing the same. She didn't want to confront her right now as she had a feeling that the Nightwing knew the truth. Winter had made a lasting impact on the both of them…but his heart only belonged to one.

Unfortunately, she wasn't that one.

It was hard to accept, but she had to in order to move on. Winter would never have loved her like he did Moon. She had given her heart to the wrong dragon for the right reasons. _I doubt there will ever be another like him. One has to hope, though._

She would go to his funeral tomorrow, and she would see him off on his journey like the friend she knew he needed.

She spent the entire night and the following morning alone before going to the clearing that she had spoken to him before the Nightwing village bombing. The others were already gathered when she arrived. They looked at her with the same saddened expressions that she doubtless had.

Winter's body was sitting on a wooden pedestal next to an empty grave. Somehow, the sight of that hole made this whole ordeal seem more final. Which was kind of stupid since he was already dead.

There was a silence as those gathered—Blaze, Moon, Flint, Turtle, and Kinkajou—tried to think of anything to say, "S-should we say something?" Turtle asked.

Flint looked at him with a weary expression, "What's to say? He's dead, and he's not coming back."

"He doesn't deserve silence," Moon said softly. "He didn't deserve a lot of the things that happened to him."

"What will you miss most about him?" Kinkajou asked the group.

Flint answered first, "His company."

Turtle answered next, "His selflessness."

Blaze looked down as she whispered, "His kind heart."

Kinkajou chuckled weakly, "His sense of humor. What about you, Moon?"

The Nightwing was silent for a long time as she gazed at Winter's body. When she answered, it wasn't what any of them expected, "His voice."

Another silence fell over the group until a blinding light shot forth from Winter's body. When it died away, Winter's wing shot out and struck Flint in the face as the Icewing's body sat bolt upright with wild, unfocused eyes. Blaze screamed._ This is impossible! How is he…!_

The others were gathered around him in a panic as they tried to figure out what was going on when he fell back down unconscious…but alive. His chest was steadily rising and falling and his heart pounded steadily against his chest.

Everyone gathered turned to look at Turtle, but he just shrugged absently as he stared with an uncomprehending gaze at his now alive friend, "It wasn't me."

**?:**

She watched the touching scene with interest. It had been a long time since she had traveled to the mortal world. Their customs were alien to her immortal mind, but maybe she could gain insight when her charge awoke.

Part of his soul was stuck in the Spirit Realm, so she had to imbue part of her essence to fill the void. It was a risk, but she believed him strong enough to withstand the energy surge. Though he survived the process, it would take his body some time to adjust to her energy.

The world would be much different when he awoke, but this time he would not be facing this enemy alone. She would be there to help him.

To guide him.

She walked through the panicking mortals gathered around him. She gently stroked his spikes as she whispered in his ear, "I will be watching over you, Prince Winter."

**AN: Did you like it? Was it as emotional as you were hoping for? Did I fail miserably? Let me know what you thought.**

**I have no idea when the next one of these will come out, but I did receive a few suggestions. And if anyone has any more, let me know. **

**Seriously though, what would be a better name for these? I absolutely loathe the current name now.**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	6. A Chance Arrangement

A Chance Arrangement

**EDIT 3/10/20: When I originally typed this in word, I put line breaks between the third and first person perspective changes, but they didn't transfer over when I uploaded it. I went back and fixed that so now it should be clear where the changes are.**

**AN: Alright. It's been awhile since I posted one of these, but this one is IMPORTANT. It takes place immediately at the end of chapter 18 and ends right before chapter 19. I didn't post another chapter of Brighter Future over the weekend because I was working on this...among other reasons. However, I will post another one next weekend.**

**I had fun writing this and it was fairly easy since it I had it completely planned out after posting chapter 18, but I couldn't write or post it before a certain point in the main story. You'll see why when you read it.**

**It should answer quite a few questions, too.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora and the other Spirits, and Faredir belong to me. Hellstorm and Ashkey belong to their owner Frostbite15. Cataclysm belongs to her owner BizmuthTheRainwing.**

**Hailstorm:**

The nervousness had entirely disappeared to be replaced by an anger that surprised him at its intensity. He glared silently at his younger brother, ignoring the odd looks he was receiving from the others as he did so.

It was Flint that broke the icy silence, "I feel like I'm missing something here."

Winter glanced over at the Mudwing, but Hailstorm's glare never faltered or moved from its target. "It's…a long story," the younger Icewing began.

However, to everyone's surprise, it was Moon that enlightened the group, "Pyrite _is_ Hailstorm." He turned his surprised gaze over to the Nightwing and confusion quickly followed when he saw the look of understanding in her expression.

"Exactly how is that possible?" Cataclysm asked.

"Animus magic. How else?" Moon replied. She returned her attention to him again, "It was an enchanted necklace used by Scarlet to keep him as a hidden bargaining chip against the Icewing royal family."

Hailstorm noticed that Winter had an odd expression as he kept glancing between him and Moon. _I wonder what that's about?_ It didn't matter _that _Moon knew. He was upset that she was telling everybody something that she had no right telling them. Winter may understand, but that was because they were brothers.

She shook her head, "I understand, too." It came out as a whisper. Hailstorm was stunned by her sincerity, and then something happened that he never would have expected. She hugged him gently, and he tensed. "Come talk to me later," she whispered into his ear before quickly rushing away. He watched her go with a befuddled expression.

"Okay…what was that?" Blaze asked. Hailstorm shook his head. He had no idea either.

Whatever it was, though, it couldn't hurt to talk to her like she had asked.

Everyone was staring at him now after Moon's explanation and then her inexplicable hug. He sneered at the group before turning away and storming off—his anger having resurfaced. He vaguely heard a set of claw-steps following him but paid no attention to it. Up the stairs he travelled then turned left into his room and proceeded to slam the door in the face of whoever was following him.

Truth be told, he knew who it was, he just wanted to prove how pissed he was at the moment. An indignant, "Hey!" sounded from the other side of the door. Hailstorm had closed the distance to the box that held his necklace, opened it, and grabbed the precious item just as the door reopened and his brother stood there looking less than pleased with him. "Was that really necessary?"

An annoyed snort was his answer.

"If you don't want to do it, fine. Someone else can—"

Hailstorm swung around with a vicious growl. Winter flinched back in surprise at the intensity of it. "_No one_ touches _my_ necklace!"

Winter was silent for a moment before he directed a glare at the older Icewing. "Then get over yourself. We're at war, Hailstorm. You said you wanted to help—you signed up for this. Pyrite is the only one who can get into the city without arousing suspicion. I'm sorry that I had to reveal your secret, but we have no other choice."

"There is always another choice!" was Hailstorm's immediate counter. Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say as Winter's eyes flashed with anger.

"YOU THINK I HAD A CHOICE WHEN I WAS_ BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE!_ I was _dead! _The _only_ reason I am alive right now is because Aurora thinks that—somehow—I can help them win this war!" Winter was beyond livid. He could see the blazing fury in his eyes and Hailstorm looked down in shame. "I have no choice, Hailstorm. I have _never_ had a choice. Not now and not then." He sighed, his anger having dissipated already.

Hailstorm, however, had latched onto one particular phrase. "Not then?" he asked quietly as he turned his softened gaze to his brother. Winter wouldn't meet his gaze anymore, but he answered with a soft-spoken reply. And it was one that left him with a heavy heart and a lump in his throat.

"The diamond trials," he whispered. "Mother and father had no qualms throwing me away… Now this." He chuckled humorlessly, "Let's face it: I've been expendable since the moment I hatched."

Hailstorm wasn't a naïve dragonet anymore. He was well aware of the cruelty present in this world—he himself being the victim of his fair share. However, no amount of preparation or past experiences with such horrific cruelty could have prepared him for the shear amount of horror he felt at hearing those words.

He was stunned beyond words and the lump in his throat was making it difficult to form words anyways. The necklace slid from his talons and impacted the floor with a clearly audible thud, but he didn't care. Because with the way he was feeling right now, he had realized much too late that the most precious thing in his life wasn't some magically enchanted necklace. The most precious thing in his life was standing before him…

And he had just indirectly said that he regretted being hatched.

Hailstorm rushed forward in a sort of daze. He was trying so hard not to cry but soon came to the conclusion that that was exactly what Winter needed to see right now. He needed to see the pain he caused with his confession.

It had the desired effect. After seeing Hailstorm's horrified expression and the first of his tears, the younger Icewing realized the full implications of what he had just said. His own expression morphed into one of horror as well.

He wrapped the younger Icewing in a tight embrace, yet Winter was too stunned by his own words to react. "Is that—Is that what you think!?"

He felt Winter shudder against him, "I…I don't know." His voice seemed dull—lost almost. "Did I really say that?"

Hailstorm pulled back far enough to look his brother in the eyes and nodded his head, "Was that your emotions getting the better of you…or did you mean it?" His voice was soft and subdued. Winter glanced at him with his lost expression before understanding finally filled his eyes, and he look away once more.

Hailstorm's breath hitched. _He did…Sun, moons, and stars above, my little brother wishes he was never hatched! _"Winter, listen to me," he began firmly. Winter's gaze shifted back up to him, shame evident in his entire posture. "Don't you _ever_ say that again! You are _not_ expendable! You are my little brother, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me, but I just got you back. I will _not_ allow _anyone_ to split us apart so soon. Not now…Not when I just realized that _you_ are the most important thing in my life." Winter's eyes began misting up at the sincere care in Hailstorm's words and voice, yet he wasn't done. "I don't need some fancy necklace to make me happy. Not anymore…"

Hailstorm pulled him into another tight embrace as the first of Winter's tears began falling. "Because I love _you_," he whispered. The two brothers stayed in that embrace for a long time. Neither of them wanted to separate because they both took comfort in the other. When the heavy, depressing silence became to thick, Hailstorm decided to try and lighten the mood. "I have been adopted by a Mudwing for less than a day, and I already have enough sap to compete with the best of them."

It had the desired effect. Winter let out a short chuckle and a small smile as he finally released his hold on Hailstorm. "That's okay. I kind of like the sap." His smile fell, "It lets me know how much I actually _am_…loved." He looked away once more. "Sometimes, it's easy for me to forget."

"Then I won't let you forget," he replied with conviction. "I love you, Winter."

He smiled—this time genuinely, "I love you, too, Hailstorm. And for the record…I don't want us to be split up either. I want—No, I need—you to stay with me. I may love Flint like a brother, too, but he isn't my _real_ brother. You are…and everything means more when you say it."

Hailstorm smiled. _I guess I'm not such a bad brother, after all._ "Don't worry. I don't plan on going anywhere." They shared another hug—this one much quicker—before Hailstorm ushered him towards the bed—the sun having gone down already, "Why don't you get some rest. Pyrite likes to get up early, remember?"

Winter smiled at him, "Does that mean you'll do it?"

Hailstorm nodded as he retrieved the necklace from the floor, "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning." With that, he shut the door and made his way downstairs where everyone besides Cliff and Moon were waiting.

"Is he okay? Are you okay? We heard yelling earlier," Flint asked, concerned.

He nodded, "Yeah, we're okay. He's asleep, and I need to talk to Moon. Where is she?" Cataclysm pointed out the front door, and he left without another word. He absently noted Flint's still-worried expression. It only made him respect the Mudwing more, knowing that he wasn't the only one who cared deeply for Winter.

It was quite easy to find Moon since her form was highlighted by the moonlight. She was sitting at the edge of the cliff watching the moons just like her name implied. She seemed to be at peace, smiling up at the celestial bodies watching her back. "Why are you so fascinated by them?" he asked as he approached.

Her smile fell and she sighed before looking at him, "My mother hid me in the rainforest before I hatched, and she visited me only rarely." She looked back up to the night sky, "They were the only things to keep me company in those first few years."

He blinked in surprise, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She shook her head, "It's okay. I need to ask a favor of you."

He raised an eye ridge at the guilty-sounding undertones in her voice. "Such as?" he asked.

She sighed, "I know you will anyways, but I want you to promise me that you'll look out for Winter. He needs dragons that support him right now—especially you and Flint."

He nodded. He had already vowed to himself that he would do what she asked. Although, he was curious, "What brought this up?"

She didn't answer for a moment, instead looking back up to the sky. He didn't rush her, though. She would answer when she was ready. "Because I need to tell him something that…he won't want to hear. It'll hurt him, and I just want to know you'll be there for him if what I fear happens…happens."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Then why tell him?" he challenged. "Haven't you caused him enough pain?"

He saw her expression shift to one of hurt, and she looked down in shame, "Because despite everything—or maybe _because_ of everything…I still love him." She had whispered the last part so quietly that he had struggled to hear it. But hear it he did. "I drove him away with the choices I made, and now…now he loves another." She paused, and he thought that the end of it until, "It's time I tried to fix my mistakes." She looked to him with a sad smile before walking back to the house.

Hailstorm watched her leave—not really sure how he should feel. He was concerned about what she had to say that would apparently cause Winter pain. Therefore, he was concerned with how Winter would take it. Also, regardless of what his brother said, he knew Winter still had feelings for the Nightwing. Maybe what she had to say would cause him pain for a while, but maybe it would mend their relationship in the long term. Then again, it could damage it beyond repair.

He sighed heavily. With what Winter said earlier and Moon's vague portents of doom, he was beyond worried for his little brother. He looked up to the moons looking for the same comfort that Moonwatcher said they provided.

He didn't find it.

It didn't stop him from saying a prayer. He wasn't a religious dragon by any means—most Icewings weren't—but he needed…something. "I know I don't do this very often—or ever—but please…whoever is listening, grant me strength. I wasn't the brother Winter needed before, but I'd do anything for him now. Just please…give me strength."

The only answer he received was the whistling of the wind through the mountains. He sighed, "Of course no one answered. Why would they?" He glanced down at the necklace still held in his talons.

Suddenly, he became conflicted. Before, he had taken every chance to wear it. Now, though…letting Pyrite take control meant he wouldn't be there for Winter if he needed him. There was no other way, though. It had to be done. He closed his eyes and placed the pendant around his neck…

I looked around at my surroundings in confusion. How did I get outside? Why was it so late? The last thing I remembered, I was with Winter up in my room and it was only sunset. A moment passed before I shrugged. "It's probably not important anyway," I said to myself dismissively.

I skipped back to the house in a pleasant mood despite the late hour. It had been forever since I had seen Winter last! It had been kind of lonely here without him. I knew he would come back eventually, but I had almost given up hope. Now he was here, though, and it didn't matter!

When I entered the house, I saw a few of Winter's friends that he said were staying the night. Most of them looked at me a bit oddly. The Nightwing didn't. She seemed nice. I gave them all a friendly smile, "Hi." I waved at them and a few of them returned it before going about their earlier conversations.

The Mudwing, though, approached me. "Hi," he greeted kindly in a warm, deep voice. "I'm Flint. We met earlier in the kitchen." I nodded and tilted my to the side in curiosity. Did he want something from me? "I just wanted to say that I'm glad to meet you. I adopted Winter as my sib about…eight years ago now," he finished with a smile.

I looked at him in confusion, "So Winter is your brother?"

"Adopted brother," he nodded with a smile.

A smile threatened to break out on my face that I tried to stamp down. "Does that mean that you're my brother, too?"

His gaze was filled with warmth and his smile grew. "If you want—Oof!" He grunted as I lunged at him with a full hug. Flint seemed nice, and if Winter cared about him, then I wanted to, too. That way the three of us could be one, big, happy family. I felt his arms wrap around me as he returned the hug, gently. I took a moment to marvel how a dragon so large could simultaneously be so gentle, fully aware that he could easily crush me. It was a comforting notion. He was intimidating in stature, but Flint was a good dragon—I could tell. "I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled.

I smiled to myself. I was glad that Winter brought these dragons here. I really wanted to meet the rest of them, but it was already much later than I liked to stay up, so I should really go get some sleep. I pulled back slightly and he released me. "I should go get some sleep," I said sheepishly.

He nodded, "I think we should all get some sleep." He gave me a gentle nudge up the stairs. "Go on, we'll be right behind you. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night!" I called as I walked up the stairs towards my room. I received a wide range of replies as I opened the door to the left of the stairs. The first thing I saw was Winter sleeping fitfully atop the bed. I was torn between being annoyed that he stole my bed in my room or being worried. He was obviously having a nightmare or something.

I walked in and shut the door quietly before making my way closer to my sleeping brother. His face was scrunched up—in pain or fear, I didn't know. His talons were restless and he kept making quiet whimpering noises. Suddenly, my earlier happiness at seeing my big brother again was overshadowed by worry.

This wasn't the dragon I remembered from a few hours ago. Was he just covering it all up? How long had he been suffering nightmares? And more importantly, what was so bad that it had affected him like this? I placed a paw on his shoulder and shook him, "Winter?" I whispered. He tensed but didn't wake. I shook him a bit harder and called louder, "Win—AHH!"

It happened so fast that I didn't really know what _it_ was that had happened. All of a sudden I was pinned on the ground between a snarling Icewing, his claws poised to strike. His eyes were unfocused but were starting to gain clarity as I just stared at him in fear.

He blinked a few times and then shook his head. He looked at me in confusion, "Pyrite?" I nodded slowly. The tension in his muscles slowly relaxed and he stepped back. "What happened?" he asked uncertainly.

I stared at him in shock. He didn't…he didn't _know_ what had happened. It was pure instinct that had guided his actions. He was fighting off an enemy in his nightmare and had reacted when she disturbed him. "N-nothing," I finally stuttered out. "I think I startled you, is all." I didn't want him to feel bad for what happened.

He sighed before shuddering. "I'm sorry I attacked you," he whispered. "I haven't slept alone in a while because I have nightmares." He shook his head, "I know it's childish."

I got up off the floor and walked over to him. Now that I got a good look at him, he just seemed…sad. It's almost like… I shook my head. Those weren't particularly nice memories that I wanted to think about. "It's not childish," I admonished him. He looked at me slightly taken aback at my tone. I continued in a much gentler voice, "An enemy of the mind is still an enemy. It just happens to be one you can't run from, hide from, or attack."

"Gee, _that_ makes me feel better," he said sarcastically.

"It should," I said with conviction. "Because you can still defend against it."

He tilted his head—much like I do. It caused me to smile slightly at the sight. "How so?" he asked.

"You have to talk about it." He didn't look convinced so I explained. "If you keep it to yourself, then you'll always lose. This kind of enemy requires back-up. It stands no chance against _two _dragons." He looked away before moving back up to the bed and laying down.

"Easier said than done," he said with a yawn. He settled back down and got comfortable. "But it'll take more than simple nightmares to keep me awake. I'm stubborn like that." He closed his eyes before I had a chance to do anything.

I watched him for a moment before I felt as if I _had_ to say something. I don't know why I decided to offer this, but I did. "If you want, I could stay in here with you." He cracked open an eye and looked at me for a minute before raising a wing.

I smiled and settled down next to him. Our sides were touching and I shivered at how cold his scales were. It was an interesting feeling, for sure, but I found that I didn't mind it. "I'm not even going to try and argue. I'm just glad for the company," he sighed in contentment as his wing draped over me and held me even tighter against his side. He twined our tails together and tucked his head right next to mine.

I was speechless. Despite the…intimacy of our position, I didn't try to stop him or pull away. I had offered, after all. This may have just been his way of assuring himself that he had someone with him—the constant contact helping to remind him that he wasn't alone. Or maybe he was just a cuddler. If I was a betting dragon, I would bet that it was a combination of both.

Without another option, I let myself relax and drift off into a nice, deep sleep.

I woke up right after first light like I always do, even though I had stayed up much later. Winter was still asleep—a much more peaceful expression on his face. I was still trapped by his wing and tail, so I couldn't do anything more than wait for him to wake up. Though after enough time for the sunlight to fill the room had passed and Winter still hadn't woken, I decided to go ahead and wake him.

"Psst!" No reply. "Winter!" Still nothing. "Okay, you asked for this." With as much dignity I could muster, I licked his cheek since my head was now stuck under his.

He groaned, "Did you have to make it weird?" I giggled at his tired glare, but he just rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "What time is it?"

"Just after dawn," I said. _That_ caught his attention. His eyes flew open about as fast as he got up. With us…tangled together, we both ended up flailing around in a panic as we both ended up falling unceremoniously onto the floor. I blinked a few times as I was suddenly staring at the ceiling.

"Are you okay?" came Winter's slightly strained voice. I turned my head to the side and noticed that I was lying on his stomach.

"Yes," I said. "Luckily I had a soft landing." After that, I rolled off of him and stood up.

"Glad to be of assistance," he said sarcastically.

"So…what's the rush? I mean, don't get me wrong, I did enjoy having such a soft landing," I gave him a cheeky smile.

He chuckled awkwardly for a moment before sighing, "Come one. I have a story to tell you—one that you won't believe at first." He opened the door and motioned for me to follow. We walked downstairs and sat down in front of the cold fireplace. He grabbed a few logs from the pile next to it and I set it ablaze when he was ready. "Will you wait here a moment while I grab the others?"

I nodded. He walked away with a small smile, so I waited patiently for him to return. I didn't have to wait too long. Within almost no time at all, I heard the group of dragons walking down the stairs. "I suppose you're going to fill her in?" Flint asked with a slight frown.

Winter nodded, "It's the only choice, Flint." The Mudwing nodded in acceptance, even though he clearly still wasn't happy. I cocked my head to the side, as concerned as I was confused. Whatever they had to tell me didn't sound very pleasant.

I was right, as it turned out. They filled me in on everything about what had happened: the Changewings, the Spirits…everything. I didn't believe them at first, just like Winter had said, but once Cataclysm, the other female Skywing, took off her earring and turned into a completely different dragon—one that I had never seen before—and he introduced me to Aurora, the Spirit that had been _living_ inside of him since he died (still trying to wrap my head around that, by the way), I finally did believe.

It was a terrifying story. After hearing what these Changewings and Faredir were capable of, I was worried. But that was nothing compared to what Winter said next, "And now we need your help to find and free Queen Ruby."

I was caught unprepared for that. When I was finally able to form words, I responded with more than little fear, "W-what? You need m-my help?"

Winter nodded somberly. "None of us can sneak into the city without being recognized, but they wouldn't know you. You are the only one who can get the information we need."

My mouth kept opening and closing but this time I couldn't find the words I needed to tell them that this was a _bad idea_. Cataclysm came to my defense, "Maybe she doesn't have to go. I _might_ not attract too much attention if I tried."

Winter shook his head, "I can't take that chance." She nodded in acquiescence.

"B-but I can't do this!" I was finally able to whimper. "Y-you're supposed to protect me, Winter, not send me into danger!" Maybe that was a bit too harsh, but I was terrified. Winter's crushed expression made me feel worse, though.

He looked away—trying to sort through his thoughts or emotions, probably. That's when Aurora reappeared. Her ghostly manifestation still made me feel disconcerted. "I understand that you are afraid and I know that you have never done anything like this before, but I must ask you to try…for all of our sakes."

She placed a claw on my shoulder and I felt a sense of peace and security wash through me. It was…nice. But also strange. I closed my eyes. Then, with a resigned sigh, I looked back at them with as much determination as I could muster, "When do I leave?"

Winter's expression was still strained and uncertain when he answered, "Right now, if at all possible." I blanched, so he clarified. "We'll all fly together for most of the way, then wait for you outside the city."

After that, we flew through the mountains towards the city before stopping at a cave that Winter had saved Cliff from his would-be assassin. Winter gave me my final orders before I took flight.

Alone…

Most likely into certain death…

Oh joy…

I landed outside the west gate among the throng of dragons and waited in line for a solid half-hour before it was my turn to enter. The guards stopped me, like they had stopped everyone before and asked the same question, "What is your business in the city?"

Both guards were male Skywings wearing armor and carrying spears. For all I knew, they could both be Changewings. Without a choice, I answered in as steady a voice as I could. "I'm here to visit a friend and do some sight-seeing with her," I told him. It wasn't a full lie. The guard studied me for a few moments before ushering me forward and into the city.

That was one hurdle down.

Now came the hard part. I made my way inconspicuously towards the castle, taking a longer, more indirect route in case I was being watched or followed. I didn't want to appear too suspicious to all of the Changewings marching about, so I stopped at a few merchant stands to look at their wares whenever a column passed. The crowds and patrols made the entire process slow-going, but, at last, I made it before the castle's main gates.

The guards, both Changewings, saw me approach. One of them noticed my necklace and smirked. "Yep, that's her," I heard him say. I froze, and he chuckled as he walked over to me. His weapon was lowered as to try and remain unthreatening. "If you would please follow me?" he asked with an arm gesturing to the gates.

I looked at him uncertainly, trying to play the ignorant tourist part, "Um…what?"

He narrowed his eyes, his friendly disposition beginning to disappear. "Follow me, _Pyrite._ Lord Faredir wishes to speak with you."

Oh shit…

How did he know me? How did he know I would be here? With no other choice, I followed. The guard who had intercepted me was in the lead with the other behind me. I was trapped.

Rather than entering the throne room, we went to the east wing of the palace and entered a massive library. The lead guard told me to halt, so I did. The other guard left us for a moment before coming back a few minutes later with a large—and rather handsome—Skywing with stunning red eyes.

"Leave us," he commanded. The two guards bowed and left the room as the large Skywing—who I could only guess was Faredir—beckoned me forward. "Come," he said simply. I followed, not wanting to incur his wrath. He opened a door at the back of the library to reveal a sort of private study. There was a lit fireplace in the back, a desk in front of it, and bookshelves built into the other walls. I walked in as he held the door open for me and sat down in the middle of the room.

I heard the door shut but didn't look around. Instead, the Skywing walked around me and sat next to the fireplace. He merely looked into the fireplace without saying a word, so I decided to make the first attempt at communication. "You wanted to see me…Lord Faredir?" I added that last part after a short hesitation. I didn't want to be rude, did I?

He began laughing before looking at me with a kind smile. "Such nice manners!" he complimented me before shaking his head. "But I am not _your_ Lord, am I, Pyrite?" he asked.

I shook my head after a brief hesitation. There was no point in lying if he already knew who I was and why I was here. In fact, lying would probably just make everything worse. "What do you want from me?" I asked with trepidation.

He looked away, back at the fireplace. "First, take off your necklace. Then, we will talk," he commanded.

I obeyed.

Hailstorm looked at the large Skywing with dread. He had witnessed the entire thing through Pyrite's eyes, though he could control nothing of what she did. The Skywing looked back at the Icewing and sighed in disappointment. "I had hoped you were your brother. I dearly wish to speak with Winter, but…I suppose you will have to do."

"What does that mean? Why do you want Winter?" Hailstorm asked. Though he was terrified on the inside, he would not let his enemy see his fear. "And how did you know I was coming?"

"After I learned where you lived, I decided to send up a spy to keep an eye on you and your group," he said casually, striding up to sit before the smaller Icewing. "I don't really like Rainwings—or Seawings for that matter—but their ability to camouflage is quite useful."

"That's how you knew about our plans at the party…" Hailstorm whispered. Winter had suspected a mole in their group. None of them had ever thought of an enemy spy.

"Indeed," he confirmed. He placed a claw pad-up between them before gesturing with his head to the necklace still clutched in Hailstorm's talons. "May I?" he asked, politely. Hailstorm looked at his necklace for a long moment before hesitantly placing it in the larger dragon's waiting talons. Faredir lifted it up to eye-level and gazed at it curiously. "Our existence has become a mere myth to you Pyrrhians, yet you use animus magic to create jewelry to mimic our innate ability. Fascinating!"

"May I…have it back?" Hailstorm asked quietly.

Faredir studied him for a moment before nodding and giving him back the necklace. The Changewing Lord walked back over and sat before the fireplace. "Do you love your brother?" he asked without warning.

The odd question took Hailstorm by surprise, so he didn't immediately answer. Faredir looked back at him expectantly. "Y-yes. More than anything," he finally answered.

The Changewing nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Does he listen to you? Ask for your council?"

"My council?" he asked, confused.

"Does he ask for your advice on matters or come to you to speak of his troubles?" he clarified.

"Not really," he replied. "I mean, he does sometimes, but mostly he goes to Flint before anyone else…except maybe Aurora."

Faredir glanced at him briefly when he heard the Ice Spirit's name. "Flint is the Mudwing, correct? He wears a bronze wristband that he never takes off." The second sentence was more of a statement than a question. Faredir was silent for a long time before he nodded to himself, coming to some sort of conclusion, no doubt.

Hailstorm was about ready to say something else to keep this conversation going when Faredir finally spoke. "I'm sure you have many questions for me, but I will not answer them for you—not yet. First, I must have my chance to speak with Winter."

"Why is my little brother so important!?" he yelled, his emotions getting the better of him. "First, the Spirits want him. Now you? What did he ever do to warrant the attention of gods!?"

Faredir hummed in thought before answering. "He is…special. I will not say more on the matter. How close has his relationship with Aurora gotten?" he asked, curious, but in a thoughtful way.

Hailstorm explained as best he could about the bond between the two—how they could hear the other's thoughts, feel the other's emotions, how they were beginning to fall in love. Faredir laughed boisterously at that. "Love!? She doesn't know the meaning of the word!" he spat venomously. He sighed and shook his head. "This is indeed problematic," he said to himself.

"Why do you hate her so much?" he asked curiously. He didn't understand how a dragoness that seemed so kind could make someone hate her so much.

Faredir narrowed his eyes at the Icewing before looking away. "She murdered my mother simply for falling in love with my father," he sneered. "She claimed that love between the Spirits and mortals was forbidden, but that was only her excuse. The truth that she has never dared to mention was that she, herself, was in love with my father. She killed my mother out of jealousy and spite when she learned of their relationship in the vain hope that they could then be together." He looked back at the now-stunned Hailstorm. "That is why I hate her. _That_ is why I must free Winter from her control. _She _started this war. Now, I am going to end it.

"Fifteen thousand years can change a dragon. I am tired of fighting—of this war. I want the best for my tribe. If that means disobeying my father's wishes then that is what I will do. I will end this diplomatically with Winter's help if I can get his support. If I can't, though, I will do what I must."

He flicked a paw and the door opened. "The Queen is in her bedroom. Hellstorm has orders to guard her, but do not mention that to Winter. This will be his test. If he can kill Hellstorm, then his worth to me will be proven."

"And if he can't," he dared to ask.

"What do you think?" he replied with a cold gaze. "Now go. Return to Winter with the Queen's location. The guards have been ordered not to bother you on your way out."

Hailstorm looked between the Skywing and the open door before walking out. The door shut behind him, and he walked through the castle and out of the main gates. True to his word, the guards never once tried to stop him. He looked up at the sky, seeing that it was almost noon.

_I have to hurry. My time is almost up._ He took to the skies once outside and flew as fast as he could to the cave where the others were waiting. He placed the necklace around his neck once he was alone, and Pyrite continued on her way—none the wiser about what happened in the city.

**AN: So now we know why Hailstorm is suddenly so much more protective of Winter. We know why Moon finally told Winter the truth, but was she being genuine? Or was she still attempting to manipulate him? Only time will tell. We found out the truth that Aurora failed to mention, or did we? Was it the truth or is this all a big ruse created by Faredir to gain Winter's support and turn him against Aurora?**

**Old questions answered and new questions asked.**

**Oh, how I love writing!**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


	7. A Reason to Change

A Reason to Change

**AN: Okay, so this Perspectives takes place right after Winter has his dreamvisit with Darkstalker in chapter 16. It's from Darkstalker's perspective as you will find out when you read. Honestly, I really enjoyed writing this one for some reason as it only took me two days to write it. (Keep in mind that I only write for a couple hours each day.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Wings of Fire. My OCs Flint, Aurora, and Shade belong to me.**

When he had been assigned to the group to go to the Sea Kingdom to rescue Anemone, he didn't think much of it. He doubted the Icewing would have wanted his company, and he _certainly_ didn't want to see that Icewing's face after what he said about Clearsight.

He wasn't expecting the other three in the group to embrace him with open arms—or some other sappy crap like that. He didn't care what anyone thought of him other than Moon. Moon was his best friend—his only friend, really—but the Icewing had taken her in his group.

Therefore, he wasn't too keen on interacting with anyone unless it was absolutely unavoidable. The Mudwing wasn't too bad, he reckoned. At least he made an effort, even if it wasn't necessary. Then, he left after a few days, and he was left alone with Fathom's look-alike and the little Rainwing.

With the amount of hostility he got from those two after the Mudwing left, he decided to stay out of their way for now unless they wanted him to do something—which hadn't happened yet. Needless to say, he wasn't holding his breath for them to suddenly decide to accept his help. He knew where he stood.

At least, he thought he did.

The dreamvisit with the Icewing left him strangely unbalanced in an emotional way. He wasn't expecting an apology, but it was a nice surprise. Since he couldn't go back to sleep, he decided to watch the moons and stars twinkle in the night sky. His tribe used to rule the night as one of the most powerful and respected tribes on Pyrrhia. Now, though, they were just a shadow of their former selves.

He chuckled humorlessly to himself. _I guess that's true about me, too. How far I've fallen…_

Two thousand years ago, he would have just killed everyone that _looked_ suspicious, collateral damage be damned. Now, for Moon's sake, he was doing things the 'right way'. He scoffed_, Whatever _that_ means._ After a few more minutes, he came to realize that whatever answers he was searching for couldn't be found in the stars, so he decided that he would go back to sleep for now.

_When he woke, he was still in the Summer Palace, but not in his room. Instead, he was in the throne room. Two _very_ familiar Seawings stood at spear-point, surrounded by guards, while another, presumably the Queen, sat on her throne with an expression of cold disdain._

_ "I gave you two specific orders, Fathom, yet you have disobeyed both of them. What say you?" the Queen thundered. Fathom was silent as he merely looked to the floor. Darkstalker looked on, his curiosity piqued. "Well?" she pressed._

_ When Fathom finally looked up, Darkstalker was unnerved at the restrained fury in the Seawing's expression. "I used my power to stop Darkstalker—my friend—from committing further atrocities against the innocent dragons of Pyrrhia. If I hadn't, I doubt anyone in this room would be alive right now."_

_ He let that settle into the minds of all present. "Perhaps, but you still disobeyed a direct order. The only reason I didn't execute, exile, or imprison you before is because you _swore_ to me that you would obey me. And, yes, I agree that Darkstalker was a threat, and perhaps I would excuse your transgression if not for you breaking my second order. I ordered you _not_ to fall in love so as to not pass your curse onto any innocent dragonets."_

_ Fathom scoffed in disbelief. "You honestly think it's that easy!? Indigo and I have been close ever since we were young dragonets. Along the way, we fell in love because it was bound to happen. You can't tell dragons who to love or not love!" Darkstalker saw the look of guilt flash across Indigo's face at that._ At least she knows she is as much to blame as Fathom is,_ Darkstalker thought to himself._

_ The Queen sighed. "You aren't making this easy, Fathom. Animus magic is a threat to all existence. Both our grandfather and Darkstalker were proof of that. How then, in good conscience, could I allow even the _possibility_ of future animus dragons being hatched?"_

_ Indigo and Fathom's expression turned to horror at what she was insinuating. "You wouldn't…" Fathom breathed._

_ The Queen's eyes softened. "It is regrettable, but none of this would have happened if you never disobeyed me, brother. Now, I am forced to action. You, Indigo, and your three dragonets will all be executed immediately."_

_ Darkstalker looked at the Queen in absolute horror and disgust. She was willing to kill innocent dragonets simply because their father was an animus?_

_ "NO!" Indigo screamed at the Queen as she lunged, hungry for blood. Fathom tried to stop her, but a spear was placed threateningly next to his jugular. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY DRAGONETS!" The Queen shrunk back from the furious Seawing's onslaught. The guards intercepted her halfway, but she was able to kill two guards before collapsing, dead, at the base of the throne._

_ Fathom watched the whole thing, helpless to do anything as his beloved was murdered, with a flurry of expressions: horror, shock, outrage. Darkstalker watched as Fathom's gaze changed to one of murder as he slowly turned his head back to the Queen. Quick as a flash, he grabbed the spear against his neck and spoke a single sentence. "Spear, kill everyone in this room except for myself and Indigo."_

_ The spear flew around killing everyone with deadly precision. Darkstalker had just enough time to see the fear in the Queen's eyes before the spear ended her miserable existence. Fathom walked forward and knelt next to his wife's body as he wept._

_ Darkstalker moved until he was sitting beside the Seawing and tried to place a claw on his shoulder. Instead of making contact, his claw went right through Fathom…as if he was a simple ghost from his past. Darkstalker watched as the entire scene blew away like smoke and closed his eyes._

When he awoke once more, he pondered the meaning of his dream before ultimately forgetting about it._ It was just a dream, after all._ Then, he decided to see what kind of trouble the other two were getting into. _Speaking of trouble, I wonder how much longer it will be until the Royal Seawing Massacre Part 2? It shouldn't be long at the rate he's going._ As…amusing as that sight probably would be, he didn't think it would be a good thing to let happen.

He extended his mind to find the thoughts of the two dragons he was looking for and began making his way in that direction. Nobody really paid him any mind because nobody knew who he really was. That, at least, he could be thankful for. He had enough problems right now as it was.

"What do you want?" a female voice asked with no small amount of hostility.

He stared at the little Rainwing with an unimpressed expression before eventually answering. "I was wondering if there was actually a plan to find Anemone, and what…help I could be?" _Ugh, that was harder to say than I thought._

She scoffed. "We don't need your help. In fact, we don't _want_ your help. Just leave us alone!"

She turned to leave, and he watched her walk off with a narrowed gaze. _You would think a year of helping them in the rainforest would count for more._ He was about to go back to his room—maybe find breakfast first—when he heard the angry and frustrated shouts coming from further down the hallway.

Upon careful deliberation, he decided that he didn't care and went to find some food.

Almost a week passed like this. Every day, he would ask the Rainwing if they wanted help, she would refuse, and he would just shrug and walk away. Though, he could tell that she was becoming more and more exhausted. The guards in the Palace were becoming more anxious, for they knew what was going on.

They knew that Turtle was using his animus magic at an accelerated rate, and they didn't like that one bit. In fact, rumors were beginning to circulate that he would become the next Albatross. Others said, he had already lost his mind and would strike when they least expected it.

He didn't really care much about those rumors. If they didn't want his help, he wouldn't give it. Another few days passed with the rumors becoming more commonplace. Darkstalker was sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch when he heard a tendril of thought, followed by another, and another, and another. More and more kept thinking the same dark thing, so he looked to see who their thoughts were directed at.

Turtle had just walked into the cafeteria looking like everyone was his enemy. Several guards were staring at him—waiting for him to make a wrong move. The ancient Nightwing surveyed the scene and felt the growing tenseness in the air. There was motion near the back as several guards began making their way over to the Prince, and Darkstalker made a quick decision.

He got up and made his way over to Turtle, who glared at him when he noticed the Nightwing approach. "What do you want?" he snarled.

"To save you from being mobbed," he stated bluntly. Turtle furrowed his eye ridge, not understanding. Darkstalker motioned for him to leave the room, but Turtle didn't move. He stood his ground stubbornly.

"They wouldn't dare attack me," he argued.

"Oh, is that so?" a new voice chimed in. "Tell me, _Prince,_ what would you do to us if we did?" That was the only warning they had before twenty guards—give or take—lunged at Turtle.

His impenetrable scales were probably the only thing that kept him alive after that initial onslaught, but Darkstalker just sat back and watched with a passive expression. "Do you want my help?" he asked Turtle.

The Seawing responded by launching a guard through the air at him, but the Nightwing merely ducked under him. Realizing they couldn't penetrate his scales, the guards took to beating him relentlessly.

The Rainwing eventually ran into the room and went into a tizzy after she saw what was happening. She tried to intervene but was thrown backwards by one of the guards. Then, her gaze landed on him. " WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING!?" she screamed at him.

He leveled a flat gaze at her. "He doesn't want my help," he said.

He cocked his head in interest when he saw a hint of betrayal shine through her angered eyes before turning his attention back to the pummeling. Then, all of a sudden, every single one of the guards atop him was sent flying backwards, hitting the walls and ceiling, before tumbling back down to the ground. Turtle stood on shaky legs, murder in his eyes, and began stalking forward to one of the guards that had attacked him.

Any hint of amusement was gone in an instant, as this scene was too similar to the one from his dream more than a week ago, and Darkstalker became deathly serious as he stood in front of the guard protectively. "That's enough!" he declared.

"Get out of my way!" the Seawing snarled.

The Nightwing raised his head and looked down at him imperiously. "I will not," he stated calmly. Turtle opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Darkstalker interrupted him. "Is this what you want? Do you want to be remembered throughout history as the second Seawing animus to commit mass murder?"

Turtle seemed a lot less certain after that. "N-no," he replied hesitantly.

"I didn't think so. I can understand the need to protect your sister, but this isn't the way to do it. Your obsession is turning you into the very thing you despise in our enemies. The path you walk is full of darkness, trust me, I know. I have been down that same path, and it is not who you want to be, is it?" The Seawing shook his head before looking to the ground in shame.

He surveyed the scene around him, guilty and regretful at the pain and fear he had caused. Kinkajou stood by him in support whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Several of the guards had come to by this point and were beginning to walk forward, snarls on their faces.

Turtle and Kinkajou looked around, worried, before a loud roar shook the very building. All eyes turned to Darkstalker. "You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" he yelled at the guards. "This is your Prince! You are supposed to protect him with your lives, yet you yourselves have the nerve to attack him!" He paused for emphasis before pointing at Turtle. "His sister has been captured by hostile dragons who are no doubt doing all sorts of unsavory things to her as we speak! Would you not have the same desire—the same obsession—to save a member of your own family!?"

At this, most of the guards looked down in shame. Two, however, didn't seem moved by Darkstalker's speech. The Nightwing narrowed his eyes at them, suspiciously, and tried reading their minds. He got nothing from them, but his expression didn't change. "And what? We're supposed to be forget this?" one guard asked. "What if he ends up killing us all before the Changewings get the chance?"

The two split up and began circling the group like a pair of sharks sizing up their prey. Darkstalker just grinned maliciously at them. "So that was your plan, huh? Have Turtle use his magic in a futile attempt to find his sister while getting closer and closer to the brink. Meanwhile, you two incite the guards against him, and hopefully they all kill each other in the inevitable massacre." He chuckled humorlessly as he shook his head. "It might have worked had you not forgotten one very important detail."

The two guards looked at each other before snarling at Darkstalker. "It seems you've got everything figured out, don't you? But I'm curious," one said, "What detail did we forget?"

Darkstalker stared straight into the eyes of the one who had spoken. The other one was behind and to the left of him…and just a little too close. With an even tone, yet fury in his eyes, Darkstalker finally answered, "Me…"

The one he had been talking to sneered and lunged. Darkstalker braced and _caught_ the slightly smaller dragon in mid-air by the neck before turning and throwing the stunned guard in his claws at the equally stupefied guard behind him. The two landed in a heap.

Darkstalker was a strong dragon. In fact, he was much stronger than he looked: a remnant effect of him being two thousand years old and _much_ larger than he was right now. Because of that, he was probably stronger than some Mudwings. Meaning: when he threw that guard into the other one, it wasn't exactly a soft landing.

The two were both unmoving—most likely unconscious. Darkstalker studied them for a second before muttering to himself, "I had kind of hoped for more of a challenge." Both the Rainwing and the Seawing Prince were staring at him in disbelief.

He merely walked over to the unconscious guards, found their charms, and removed them. Both turned into Changewings before their eyes. He turned to the other two again. "Do you want my help now?" he asked. They looked between each other right as Darkstalker sensed a slight change in one of the Changewing's minds.

Jaws lunged for his throat, but Darkstalker caught them. He stared at the guilty Changewing unimpressed before prying his jaws wider and wider. Panic entered its eyes as it began thrashing around to try and save itself.

Once the jaws were as wide as they could go, he stopped. And then he waited a few moments until the other Changewing awoke. Once the second Changewing saw what was about to happen, Darkstalker yanked with all his might and completely ripped the poor dragon's jaw from his face. Needless to say, the unfortunate victim of Darkstalker's wrath was dead before his body hit the ground. He heard a few horrified gasps from around the room and one or two dragons getting sick, but none of that concerned him.

Darkstalker tossed the lower jaw at the other dragon's feet as he stumbled back in sheer terror. Not once during the savage display did Darkstalker break eye contact with the other Changewing. "I hope now that you've seen that, we can skip the part where you say you don't know anything," he said evenly. "So…where's the Seawing princess?"

"I-I-I d-don't know!" he stuttered. Darkstalker narrowed his eyes dangerously, and the terrified Changewing cowered in fear. "I-It's the t-truth! I-I swear! They keep everything on a need-to-know basis!"

"So you don't know anything?" he asked with a pointed gesture at the maimed body on the floor.

"N-no…" it replied weakly.

Darkstalker sighed, genuinely disappointed that he didn't learn anything that could help. He turned and began walking away. "Do with it what you like," he told the guards. "It's your problem now."

He heard two rapid sets of claw-steps running up behind him, so he turned to acknowledge them. The Prince looked at the Rainwing for a moment, then looked back at Darkstalker. "We accept your help…if you're still willing to give it?" he tried.

Darkstalker stopped and regarded him for a moment. "Then before we do anything else, you and I are going to talk about your nightmares."

The Seawing grew defensive. "What? What does that—"

Darkstalker interrupted him before he could finish. "Over-use of animus magic has some dangerous side-effects. Nightmares are one. Your mental health is paramount if you want to avoid going mad, so you and I are going to talk about them. We're going to go through all your insecurities and fears that they have uncovered, and I'm going to help you through them."

The Rainwing was looking between the two of them, worried, but the Prince looked pensive and more than a little apprehensive. And though he didn't voice it and he couldn't hear his thoughts, Darkstalker knew what he was thinking. "If you can't trust me as a dragon, you should trust me as a fellow animus. I may not have my powers right now, but I have been down the darker paths of temptation and ambition. I can help you, Turtle…if you will only allow me."

They both looked at him in surprise, for that was the first time he had actually said one of their names and not just their tribe or title. Turtle eventually nodded, though, and the two of them left after the two lovers said their goodbyes.

Over the next several days, Turtle and Darkstalker spend their days simply talking together about everything from his desire to see Anemone safe once more to his mother's disapproval of his relationship with Kinkajou.

They would meet the aforementioned Rainwing for meals and Turtle would tell her how much their talks were helping. "He's a really good listener, and he doesn't just say what I want to hear. He tells me what I need to hear," he once heard him say to Kinkajou.

"Well, I'm just glad you're feeling better," was her reply.

It was after one of those meals when news came in that Anemone had been found alone outside the Deep Palace. Turtle had wasted no time in going down there, and Kinkajou was worried for him, of course. "He didn't even say goodbye," she said, saddened.

"He'll be back," he said gently. "He probably already feels guilty about not saying anything, though," he chuckled before going quiet. "He reminds me of my friend Fathom," he said after a moment.

"And what was he like?" she asked, looking up at him curiously.

Darkstalker smiled fondly at memories of his old friend. "He was a good dragon," he responded. Then something happened that would forever change Darkstalker's view of the world…

Kinkajou hugged him. "Thank you for helping him," she whispered. "I've been so worried that he'll do something terrible on accident like he did in the cafeteria. And I'm glad you were there to help."

Darkstalker returned the hug, hesitantly at first, but then more comfortably. "I won't let anything happen…to either of you," he told her before she grew a little heavier in his arms. Looking down, he saw that she had fallen asleep. He smiled warmly at the sight, "Let's get you to bed."

He carried her to her room and gently deposited her onto the bed before smiling to himself. _Looks like I have some new friends now._

"Indeed you do," a vaguely familiar voice sounded from behind him. He whirled around in surprise and saw a ghostly manifestation of a dragon. It didn't take him long to connect his appearance with what he saw of Aurora's.

"You're a Spirit," he stated.

The Spirit nodded, "I am. My name is Shade…and," he reached forward slowly and laid his talons on Darkstalker's chest. There was a flash of light on contact, and Shade was no longer standing before him. Then he felt his suspicion and wariness disappear to be replaced by calm reassurance.

Shade reappeared looking both ecstatic and relieved. "What just happened?" Darkstalker asked.

"I just established a connection with you. So far only Aurora has been able to connect with her Champion. None of the others can. Which means you and Winter are the best—and only—chances of winning this war," he revealed. "I ask that you not reveal our connection to _anyone_ yet. It'll be better for everyone. Now, there are a few things I will need your help with later. Any questions?"

Darkstalker stared at him, blinking a few times in surprise before smirking. "When do we start?"

**AN: Alright, what did you think? I'll probably end up posting another one of these before the next chapter of Dragons Change (that I haven't started yet but will definitely, probably, most likely start tomorrow) is uploaded. _That one_ is going to be _very_ important for the continuation of the story as it involves a certain Nightwing dragoness that we all know and love.**

**Anyways...**

**Until Next Time**

**AdmiralCole22**


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